Blackheart
by Totoro216
Summary: When defeated by Alduin in Sovngarde, Fadrielindë, the Dovahkiin, is somehow transported to Earth. She is discovered by none other than Loki, who recruits her in his fight to take over Earth. **All characters (except for my OC, Fadrielindë) are the property of Bethesda or Marvel.**
1. Chapter 1

Blackheart

Ch. 1

—Fadrielindë's POV—

Falling. I am falling. Plummeting into a deep abyss. My hair whips around my face, my helmet almost ripped from my head from the force of my descent. My vision is blurred, and everything spinning. I can't remember how I came to be falling or what happened before; all I can think about is the stomach dropping sensation. I feel like I am in a long glass tube, lights reflecting off the atmosphere shine into my face. Everything blurs together and I can't make sense of anything. Who am I? What is happening to me? After what seems like an eternity, I finally slam into a hard surface, landing on my back and knocking the breath out of me. I gaze up at the night sky above me, but the stars projected in the sky are not constellations with which I am familiar. I hear shouting as my head sinks into the ground and my eyes start to close. Running footsteps and a whirring sound approach me, but before I can decipher where the sounds are coming from, I am engulfed by blackness.

—Loki's POV—

Scepter in hand and feeling quite pleased with myself, I watch as the Fury fellow's aircraft crashes to the ground in flames. I look away from the wreckage and tell the archer to drive faster. I have to shout for him to hear me from the back of the vehicle we stole from SHIELD. Feeling triumphant, and rather tired, I look forward to finding a place to hide so that I may rest. I breathe in the cool night air and attempt to keep myself from thinking about how I came to be here on the planet called "Earth". What an uncreative and unattractive name. However, it does fit the planet well. I close my eyes and prepare myself for the long ride ahead. All of a sudden, I see a beam of bright light shining down from the sky. The light projects from the sky all the way to the ground in a circle. As I squint my eyes, I see a small form falling in the light. It is a person! I yell at the archer to turn into the cornfield toward the light. Once the vehicle stops, I leap out and watch as the person slams into the ground with breathtaking force. I tell the others to follow me, and I run over to the person. I reach the faller and realize that it is a woman.

She is wearing a black hood over a mask that covers her face. Swirled lines engraved on the helmet in an intricate design. She is wearing what looks to be ebony armor decorated with the same design. The armor resembles a kind of bird, like a crow or raven. Spread out beneath her is a long black cape secured with a gold disc at the base of her neck. Only her fingers are left uncovered. On one finger sits a ring inlayed with a glowing red stone. At her waist in a holster is a strange weapon. At the top of the weapon are three sharp points. There are multiple points around the entire weapon. It is slate grey and appears to have a green glow that slowly pulsates. I decide to remove her helmet to see if she is alive. I carefully lower her hood and remove the mask. She is beautiful. Her hair is a long waterfall of ebony black with subtle streaks of crimson. Her dark and long eyelashes frame almond shaped eyes. Her face is sculpted and tanned. She resembles a human, but looks more exotic and alien. I notice that her ears are slightly pointed at the end. Her skin is a golden color, and she has unusual shimmering golden markings on her neck. They seem to continue down her back.

"Take her to the vehicle!" I order the archer.

He gently takes her in his arms and places her in the back where I was sitting.

"Are we taking her back with us?" he asks.

I give him a pointed look and he strides back to the driver's seat. I climb into the back with the woman as the vehicle starts to move. I do not know who she is or where she came from, but I do know that she is not from Earth. I smile to myself. Perhaps she could be of great use to me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Here's the second chapter to Blackheart. I hope you enjoy! Please review! :)**

Ch. 2

—Fadrielindë's POV—

My head is pounding. _What happened?_ I slowly open my eyes. A piercing white light shines down into my eyes, making my head pound even harder. I decide against keeping my eyes open and rely on my other senses to find out what is happening. I think back…what do I remember last? I remember Whiterun. Yes, I went to the Jarl for something. I strain, searching for the memory in my mind. Ah, I trapped Odahviing in Dragonsreach. He flew me to Sovngarde! I find the memory and replay it in my mind, watching it unfold, but this time as an outsider.

I was on my way to kill Alduin The World Eater. After fighting hundreds of Draugr and dragons, I had finally reached Alduin's domain. I remember gripping the Mace of Malog Bal, my preferred weapon, and flames engulfing my other hand, preparing to burn whoever got in my way. I cautiously crept up to the Word Wall before me. My vision blurred around the edges. All I could see were the bright burning letters of a new Thu'um I had not yet learned. I absorbed the word, loving how it felt on my tongue. Suddenly, my thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous sound of flapping wings, and I found Alduin was before me. With my heart pounding, I raised my hands and prepared to use my new Thu'um on him. But he screeched, the horrid sound filling my head. I covered my ears to stop the ear piercing shriek. I felt the ground shaking beneath me and the floor shattered. I raised my eyes to meet Alduin's, deep black and soulless, and began to fall as I see them burn red. His booming voice formed new words in the dragon language, words I had never heard. I felt myself plummeting down in the blackness beneath me. I looked up and only blackness greeted me. Panicked, I tried to summon Odahviing, but the Thu'um won't come out of my throat. My vision blurred as everything went black.

My eyes shoot open and try to adjust to the bright light above me. My head is killing me and I find it even harder to focus on anything. I probably should've saved my energy, using it to fight instead of conjuring up a memory. I try to sit up, but a sharp stabbing pain shoots through my entire body. I groan and lay down once more. Looking down at my body, I see I am still wearing my Nightingale armor, but the Mace is no where to be found. Also, my gauntlets have been removed and strange tubes are connected to my hands. I look to my left, following the tubes with my eyes, and see a metal pole from which a bag filled with a clear liquid dangles. I rip the tubes out of my hand, ignoring the pain. Trying to clear my head, I squeeze my eyes shut and massage my temples. Out of nowhere, a smooth voice speaks directly next to me.

"Ah, you are finally awake." I jump up and have the speaker in a chokehold before I even realize it. My hand, full of flames, is inches from his face. One must know never to sneak up on me, a master of stealth. From behind, I see that the man towers over me. He has shoulder length hair, black as night. His skin resembles the color of porcelain. I know I am in no shape to fight right now; my head feels like it might explode and I barely have any energy left. The man puts his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"I mean you no harm." His voice is that of velvet. I can tell by the tone and infliction of his voice that he is experienced in the telling of lies. I do not believe him, but I am so weak, if he decides to harm me, I won't be able to defend myself as well as I normally can. I release him and the flames from my hand disappear.

"Who are y—" I start to demand, but my voice catches as he turns around.

I find myself looking into a pair of dark green eyes. I feel like I am enveloped in his gaze. I tear my eyes away. His features are sharp and angular. He is wearing armor I have never seen in all of my adventures in Tamriel. It is the same color as his eyes, accented with gold and black. I bring my gaze back up to his face as he speaks.

—Loki's POV—

Her eyes. I have never seen anything like them. Piercing bright green, the vibrant color of emeralds, the greenest eyes I have ever seen. I see wisdom, pain, loss, and strength in her eyes. I chide myself for thinking of this woman as beautiful. I am alarmed at how quickly she attacked me. She is obviously trained in battle. And those flames coming from her hand; she must be a mage as well. The flames confirmed my belief that she is not of Earth. I can tell she is trying to remain strong despite the obvious pain she is in. Her eyes narrow as she waits for me to answer her question. I bow deeply before answering. If I am to use her to help me, I need her to trust me.

"I am Loki," I tell her. She studies my face, probably to see if I am lying. "I can tell you are in pain, if you would like to sit down." I gesture to a chair on the opposite wall of the room. She regards me cautiously, still in a defensive stance.

"I am fine standing. I have been in worse pain," she says coldly. She has a light but confident voice with an odd accent. She examines the room we are in. "Where am I?" she asks.

"We are in an underground bunker," I reply. She narrows her eyes.

"Bunker?" she asks.

"It is basically a facility underground made to protect its resident from any dangers up above," I say. She is looking around cautiously, taking in her surroundings. Before she can ask another question, I ask her, "What is your name?" She looks back to me as she answers.

"Fadrielindë," she answers. Certainly not from Earth.

"Where are you from?" I ask. She looks puzzled, as if I should already know the answer.

—Fadrielindë's POV—

I have never been more confused. Not even when I found out I was the Dragonborn. This Loki man's questions puzzle me. I am not what the Nords would call "big headed", but he should know who I am. I am known all over Tamriel. Loki stares at me, waiting for me to answer. "I was born in the Imperial City, but I have been in Skyrim for quite some time now," I say carefully. I do not know what game this man is playing, but I want no part in it. I know something is amiss, I just cannot place my finger on it. Loki has a blank look on his face.

"Imperial City? Skyrim?" he says slowly. "I am afraid I do not follow." _What?_ Loki clears his throat and shifts his feet. "Fadrielindë," he pauses. "From what planet are you?" he finishes. I furrow my brow.

"Planet? You have never heard of Cyrodil or Skyrim?" His face remains blank. "You do not know of Tamriel? Or Nirn?" No reaction. I shake my head incredulously. How can he not know? Loki takes a deep breath.

"Listen, Fadrielindë, you are not in Tamriel. You are on Earth," he tells me slowly.

"Earth?" I ask. Another planet? What did Alduin's Thu'um do to me? Loki opens his mouth but doesn't say anything. He must be thinking. After a few minutes pass, he finally speaks.

"Think of Earth as another land. You are from…Nirn, is it?" I nod. "Nirn is just one of many lands in the universe. Earth is one of them." I think about this.

"Are you from Earth?" I ask him, trying to figure this all out. He shakes his head.

"No, I am from Asgard. Well, I was raised there. I was born in Jotunheim," he replies. He must see the blank stare on my face because he explains more. "Somehow, you were transported from your land to Earth. I found you last night falling from the sky from a beam of light." I nod.

"Yes, I remember falling," I reply.

"Do you remember what happened before you fell?" he inquires. I nod my head slowly. "Can you tell me?" he asks. I consider his question. It will take more of my energy, but it will be easier for him to understand this way.

"No," I reply after some time. "But I can show you." His features contort into confusion. I sit on the medical bed and gesture for him to sit facing me. I place my hands on either side of his face. "This will be a little disorienting, but it will help you understand," I say, noticing his nervousness. I close my eyes and conjure up the memory of Sovngarde.

—Loki's POV—

My eyes roll back and suddenly my mind is filled with memories of an odd place I have never seen. Swirling fog surrounds me, making it difficult to discern what is happening. The fog clears and I see Fadrielindë standing next to me. We are in a giant tomb-like structure, like an ancient mausoleum. I look in front of me and do a double take as I see _another_ Fadrielindë crouching in a corner holding the Mace with one hand and flames in the other hand. She has her helmet on and is sneaking up on a zombie-looking creature. I look at the Fadrielindë next to me. She is smirking at me.

"We are in my mind right now, reliving my memory of what happened before I fell to Earth," she says. She studies my face for my reaction. I can tell she takes pleasure in my confusion. I almost hate her for it.

"How are you able to do this?" I ask, watching the memory Fadrielindë slay a dozen zombie creatures at once. I hate to admit it, but her combat skills are incredible!

"I have always been able to relive my memories in my own mind. It was not until quite recently that I found that I am able to project my memories into the minds of others as well," she replies. She is watching the other Fadrielindë sneak up behind a creature. She shoots flames at it, catching it on fire. At the same time, she strikes the creature on the head with her Mace. A purple aura is absorbed by the Mace and is transferred into an oblong stone. I look at the real Fadrielindë questioningly.

"It is a soul gem. Sometimes when I make a very fast kill, the creature's soul is absorbed by my Mace and is preserved in a soul gem until I need it to recharge my weapon," she explains. She points at the past Fadrielindë. The memory Fadrielindë creeps through a large doorway into a huge chamber. There is a strange wall with odd engravings.

"What is that wall?" I ask. I hate asking questions, but my curiosity of this strange place gets the better of me.

"It is a Word Wall." She watches herself absorb a bright white light emitted by an etching in the wall. They seem to be letters of some kind. Fadrielindë elaborates, "Most people have no use for Word Walls, but I use them to learn new Thu'ums by absorbing the words."

"What is a Thu'um?" I give up on trying not to ask questions. She gazes into my eyes.

"A Thu'um is what those with the Voice use to create powerful magic. Each Thu'um does something different." I watch in shock as a huge black beast flies above the unsuspecting past Fadrielindë and lands directly in front of her.

"That is Alduin, the World-Eater," she says, her voice full of fear.

"Is he…a dragon?" I ask. "I have never seen a dragon; I have only read about them."

Fadrielindë's face hardens.

"Yes. He is a dragon." She watches as the memory Fadrielindë falls through the crumbling floor as Alduin shouts at her in a language unbeknownst to me. A wave of white light shoots from Alduin's mouth as he speaks and hits the past Fadrielindë. I watch in horror as she tumbles through the air, desperately trying to grab at anything to stop her descent. The memory warps and fades, and I find myself sitting on the hospital bed once more. Fadrielindë's hands leave my face. She looks exhausted.

"And that is what happened before I fell," she says, trying to keep her voice light. I have so many questions, but the first is—

"Who _are _you?" I know she possesses powers that no ordinary mage possesses. Fadrielindë swallows. A long moment passes before she speaks.

"I am the Dovahkiin," she says finally. She says the word so importantly that I feel foolish for having to ask what a 'Dovahkiin' is. "Dovahkiin translates to Dragonborn," she answers. "It means…that I have the heart of a mortal, but the soul of a dragon." I furrow my brow. _How interesting._

"The soul of a dragon?" I ask, fascinated by this strange woman. "What exactly does that entail?" Fadrielindë seems unwilling to answer. She opens her mouth but says nothing.

After a long while she says, "It would be easier to show you, but I do not have much energy left." She does look exhausted. "Let me rest, and I promise that I will explain everything later."

"As you wish," I reply and stand up from the bed.

"Wait."

I turn around to face her.

"I will only explain after you have told me about yourself and why I am here," she says, trying to keep her eyes open.

I open my mouth to explain everything to her, but she interrupts me.

"_After _I rest," she says, smiling. I take my leave and return to the main chamber where the Tesseract is being held. I hate to admit it, but I actually kind of like her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Here's the third chapter to Blackheart! I hope you are enjoying it! Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far! Thanks :)**

Ch. 3

—Meanwhile at SHIELD—

"Coulson! What do you have for me?" Nick Fury is still enraged at the fact the the Asgardian got away. _And he blew up my damn helicopter,_ he thinks angrily.

"Well, sir, we don't know much, but we do know that the beam of light acted as some kind of portal," Agent Coulson says, entering the room. He steps up to the computer where Fury is standing and gazes at the screen, replaying the person falling from the light. Fury directs his attention to the stolen SHIELD vehicle driving to the beam.

"I figured as much," Fury says, watching as the Asgardian—Loki—gets out of the car and runs to the fallen body as the portal disappears. Fury presses a button and the footage pauses. Zooming in on the body, he notices that the figure is dressed all in black armor with a deadly-looking weapon on their waist.

"Whoever that is, sir, she is definitely a warrior. Judging by the armor and weapon," Coulson notes. Fury resumes the footage and watches as Loki removes the helmet. It is a woman. Agent Barton picks up the woman and takes her to the trunk of the car. "Do you think she's another Asgardian?"

"I have no idea, but I do know that we need to find out who she is immediately," Fury says urgently. "If she is another Asgardian warrior, it'll make it a lot harder to retrieve the Tesseract. We're already going up against one of our own agents as well."

Coulson nods.

"I'll get right on it, sir. Don't worry. We will have her identity soon." He leaves the room, leaving Fury to his thoughts. He draws his attention back to the screen. Furrowing his brow, he notices something new. Zooming in on the frozen frame, he sees that the woman's ears are pointed at the end. Thinking it might just be feedback, he runs the image through editing software to clear up the photo. But when he looks at the new photo, there is no mistake. The woman is of Elven descent. Fury races to tell the others.

—Fadrielindë's POV—

I smile slyly as Loki leaves the room. I showed him just enough of my memories for him to realize that I am extremely powerful. I sigh, causing the pain in my back to ripple up my spine. "Ah!" I suppress a cry, clutching my back. Thinking back to before I fell, I remember filling a soul gem and dropping it in my pocket. I reach down and feel it. I look around the room to make sure no one is coming before taking out the gem. It is glowing violet, filled with the soul of one of the many Draugr I killed in Sovngarde. With a flick of my wrist, I crack it open and tilt my head back in relief as I absorb the soul. _Ahh._ I feel reenergized, though not as energized as if I had absorbed a dragon soul. But I do not even know if I will find any dragons in this world. With great effort, I push myself off of the bed, ignoring the now somewhat muted pain in my body. I have grown accustomed to disallowing myself feeling pain, an art I learned from the Companions in Whiterun. I search my room for my Mace. If I am to escape, I will need it._ Where is it?_ It is probably in another room. I summon flames to both of my hands because of the absence of the Mace, and creep around the corner.

I find myself in a long hallway with multiple doors leading to other rooms. The walls are metallic with bits of rust seemingly growing from the cracks in the walls. Wherever I am, it looks rather old. I automatically crouch down as I hear voices at the end of the hallway. Sneaking slowly down the hallway, I listen in to the conversation.

"She is resting right now," a velvety voice says. It is Loki. I hear another voice speak.

"The Tesseract has shown me so much," the voice gushes. The voice seems to belong to an older man. "It's more than knowledge," he says fascinated. "It's truth." _Tesseract?_ I search my mind for any other times I may have heard that word, but nothing comes to mind.

"I know," Loki replies. I can almost hear him smiling. "And what did it show you, Agent Barton?" Another voice speaks.

"My next target," the voice says harshly. It belongs to another man. Like all the other voices, his has an odd accent. I decide to peek around the corner to see what is happening. I know I will not be caught as I am a master of the shadows, a perk of being a Nightingale. Peering around the corner, I see Loki and two other men standing around a blue glowing cube. One man is an older stout fellow with greying hair. The other man wears a black leather suit while holding a bow. Dark blonde hair shoots up in spike upon his head. Both of the men's eyes, I notice, are the same color as the glowing cube. Loki speaks to the archer.

"What do you need?" he asks. _Aha, so the archer must be the Agent that Loki mentioned._

"I need a distraction," the agent replies, seriously. "And an eyeball." Loki grins mischievously.

"Perhaps our new guest will be willing to help," he says. I do not know what they are planning, but I want no part in it. I need to find my Mace and escape now.

I sneak down the opposite end of the hallway and come to a door with the word 'Armory' inscribed on it. I grab the handle and tug, but it's locked. Reaching into my pocket, I draw out one of my many lock picks. I pick the lock with ease and creep inside the dark room. It takes me seconds to find the glowing Mace. I sigh with relief, relishing in the feeling of its power in my hand. Suddenly, I hear clapping behind me. I whisk around, flames shooting out of my hand and my Mace ready to strike. Standing in the doorway is Loki. He is smirking.

"I'm impressed," he says. I narrow my eyes, ready to attack at any moment. "I think you will be of great use to me," he continues.

"I want no part in your plan," I reply harshly. Loki lifts up his hands.

"What if I told you that if you help me, I will return you to your world?" he asks. I remain silent as I consider this. I am a master of lies and deceit myself, yet I cannot tell if he is telling the truth.

"It depends," I say carefully. "What would I have to do if I agreed to help you?" Loki smiles widely.

"You are skilled in combat, yes?" he asks me. I nod. "And you are a mage…of some sort, correct?"

"I suppose you could call me that," I reply.

"Oh, yes," Loki says. "And you are the…Dovahkiin?"

"Yes, I am." I narrow my eyes. _What is he getting at?_

"This is what I need you to do," Loki begins. "Agent Barton needs to break into a vault to retrieve an element I need. I need you to go with him to deal with the guards."

"And what will you do?" I ask, still trying to decide if he is lying or not.

"I will be providing a distraction. I also am retrieving the necessary components for the retinal scan protecting the vault," he explains. "All I need for you to do, is to go with him to fight off the guards. If you do this, I will send you back to your world." I consider his offer. I can not think of any other way for me to return to Tamriel. And it is _imperative_ that I return; I still need to fulfill the prophecy and defeat Alduin. I shudder, trying to keep myself from thinking about what would happen if I didn't get back in time and the prophecy remains unfulfilled. _Alduin isn't called the World-Eater for nothing, _I think. I sigh before answering. I can see no other way.

"Very well," I say. "I accept your offer." Loki smiles, showing his teeth.

"Excellent," he turns to leave the armory. "We will leave tomorrow morning."

I know I am stupid for agreeing to help a man I have just met, but how many times have I helped the citizens of Skyrim without knowing them? But for some reason, this Loki man seems…off. I feel as though he is keeping a lot from me. _I hate not knowing things._ I certainly do not trust him, but how else am I supposed to return to Skyrim? Perhaps if I tell him more about myself, he will reveal his intentions. Why does he need this element? And what is the Tesseract? I do not even know what he plans to do once he obtains the element. I make up my mind. I will show him my memories of how I found out I was the Dovahkiin in exchange for his explanation of why he is here on Earth.

I leave the armory after putting the Mace back in my holster. I stride down the long hallway to the room in which I saw the other two men before. Loki is standing in front of the glowing cube. The other two men are nowhere to be found. I gaze around the room and see all kinds of odd machines, all beeping and glowing. They resemble the machines of the Dwemer, but these look much more complex. Hearing me approach, Loki turns around and looks at me questioningly.

"I believe it will prove useful to you if you know how I found out that I am the Dovahkiin," I state. Loki's eyes light up with curiosity. I hate deciding to show him such a large part of my memories, but if I want to know what he is up to, I must make him trust me. I sit down on a bench near the doorway and beckon to him to sit next to me. After he does so, I place my hands on his temples and concentrate on the memory of when I was mistaken for a Stormcloak and captured by the Imperials.

—Loki's POV—

I feel the sensation of a pull behind my belly button and find myself in a lush forest. I look next to me and see Fadrielindë solemnly observing the scene before us. She is gazing straight ahead at a group of men in silver armor herding a group of men and women wearing raggedy blue amor into horse drawn wagons. Their hands are bound as they stumble onto the wagons.

"The men in blue are the Stormcloaks," Fadrielindë explains.

"Who are the others?" I ask. Her eyes narrow.

"They are the Imperials," she says seriously. I watch as an Imperial soldier drags a gagged man in regal clothing to one wagon. I start to ask why he is the only one gagged but Fadrielindë interrupts me.

"That is Ulfric Stormcloak. He is the leader of the Stormcloaks," she answers. Suddenly, I spot the memory Fadrielindë being dragged along by the Imperials. She is barely conscious. Her hands are also bound as she is basically thrown onto the same wagon as Ulfric.

"What happened to you?" I inquire.

"I fought back," she says simply. I watch as the wagons drive off, and we are pulled along behind, following the memory Fadrielindë. I blink, and when I open my eyes, find that we are sitting in the wagon with two soldiers, Ulfric, and the memory Fadrielindë. She groans as she tries to regain full consciousness.

The wagons roll along until we reach a small village. The man sitting across from memory Fadrielindë yells, saying that he is not a traitor; he was merely stealing a horse. As the Imperial soldiers herd the prisoners out of the wagon, the thief jumps out and starts to run away.

"You're not going to kill me!" he yells, just as four archers shoot arrows into his back. He collapses on the road, dead.

"Anyone else feel like running?" an Imperial woman shouts. I look over at Fadrielindë. Her expression is one of pure hatred. I watch as the memory Fadrielindë steps out of the wagon delicately. She frowns as the movement causes her pain.

"Who are you?" the Imperial woman's assistant asks. The past Fadrielindë blinks.

"I am Fadrielindë. I was born in the Imperial City," she says defiantly. The assistant studies her.

"You are elven?" he asks. Memory Fadrielindë nods.

"My father was Imperial and my mother was Altmer," she says. _Aha, that explains her pointed ears._

"Captain, what should we do? She's not on the list!" the assistant asks the Imperial woman.

"Forget the list. She goes to the block!" the woman says harshly.

"By your orders, Captain," the assistant replies. "I'm sorry. We'll make sure your remains are returned to Cyrodil." Memory Fadrielindë's eyes widen in horror as she is pushed over to the group of Stormcloaks awaiting their execution. Another Imperial man strides pompously over to Ulfric.

"That is General Tullius, the leader of the Imperial army," Fadrielindë explains, answering my question before I voice it.

"Ulfric Stormcloak. Some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power like the Voice to murder his king and usurp his throne," General Tulluis declares. Ulfric tries to reply, but his voice is muffled by the gag.

General Tullius continues, "You started this war, plunged Skyrim into chaos, and now the Empire is going to put you down, and restore the peace." Suddenly, a loud roar rings throughout the town. Imperials and Stormcloaks alike look toward the sound. The memory Fadrielindë gazes into the sky. She looks so frightened, I almost feel a little sorry for her. _Almost._

"What was that?" the assistant wonders. General Tullius looks frustrated that his moment was interrupted.

"It's nothing. Carry on," he states.

"Yes, General Tullius." The captain turns to a priestess wearing a long robe, her face covered by an oversized hood. "Give them their last rites," the captain orders her. The priestess begins to rabble on about how the prisoners will be going to a better place—basically everything one says to make an soon-executed prisoner feel better about dying. Another person must think the same thing, because he walks up to the block.

"For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with." He kneels down in front of the block. The executioner raises a immense axe, the sharp blade glinting in the afternoon sun, and slices the Stormcloak's head off in one clean stroke. The memory Fadrielindë gasps. General Tullius kicks the headless body out of the way. The other Stormcloak prisoners shout insults at the Imperials. Ignoring the prisoners' accusations, the captain shouts out the next victim.

"Next! The Imperial elf!" Suddenly, the roar is heard again, filling the ears of each and every person in the village.

"There it is again. Did you hear it?" the assistant asks. But the captain is only focused on the execution.

"I said, next prisoner!" she shouts. The memory Fadrielindë is pushed in front of the block and forced to her knees. The executioner raises his axe, aiming at Memory Fadrielindë 's slender neck. All of a sudden, the roar is heard again, but this time accompanied by an enormous ebony dragon.

"What in Oblivion is that?!" General Tullius shouts. The executioner drops his axe and stumbles back to the group of prisoners. I watch as the dragon flies to the watchtower directly behind the chopping block and perches on top. It seems to look directly at the memory Fadrielindë, who is still kneeling at the block, too shocked to move. The dragon opens its mouth and lets out a shout so loud that it shakes the ground. The sky grows dark and buildings collapse and catch fire with the force of the shout. Memory Fadrielindë is almost knocked unconscious; she falls over looking very disoriented. I watch as the man who was sitting next to her on the wagon pulls her to safety. The memory blurs and now we are standing in a quaint town. I look for Fadrielindë.

"What happened?" I ask, wanting to see more.

"Well, I obviously did not die," she says unemotionally. "We ended up escaping. I traveled to Whiterun," she gestures at the city around us, "and told the Jarl about the dragon attack." She takes a deep breath. "There's something you have to understand. Dragons had not been seen for hundreds of years. Everyone simply assumed that they had gone extinct. Seeing one in Helgen was…" she shakes her head. "Well, it was just unheard of. Moments after I told the Jarl about the attack in Helgen, another dragon was spotted not too far from Whiterun. The Jarl asked me to help kill it, so that is where the past me is headed." She points at the memory Fadrielindë walking through the town towards the large city gate. We follow her quite a ways to a destroyed watchtower surrounded by a small army.

"No signs of any dragon," a dark skinned woman says. Her ears are pointed like Fadrielindë's. Another elf? "Spread out and look for survivors." We follow the past Fadrielindë as she runs toward the watchtower, a rusted sword in her hand.

"Where is your mace?" I ask.

"I have not obtained it yet," Fadrielindë replies. "I will not have it for a while." Without warning, a huge dragon swoops down out of the sky. The past Fadrielindë grips her sword and sprints to the top of the tower. Right as the dragon flies by the tower, she jumps off the roof and onto the dragon's back. The dragon twists around violently, trying to toss the past Fadrielindë off. She grips onto its scales as she shimmies up the dragon's neck and raises her sword above its head. With a cry, she stabs the dragon multiple times straight through its skull. She holds onto its neck as the dragon releases a bloodcurdling shriek and collapses, dead.

"Wow," I say, impressed. Fadrielindë just smiles.

"My first dragon kill," she says almost fondly. The army surrounds the memory Fadrielindë and the fallen dragon. I watch in amazement as the dragon's body catches on fire and a stream of white light rushes out of its body. I follow the light with my eyes. The memory Fadrielindë looks just as surprised as me when she absorbs the light. Her body glows as she breathes heavily. The group around her gasp.

"I can't believe it!" one guard says. "You're…Dragonborn!"

"Dragonborn? What do you mean?" Memory Fadrielindë asks, confused.

"In the very oldest tales, back to when there were still dragons in Skyrim, the Dragonborn would slay dragons and steal their power. That's what you did, isn't it? Absorb the dragon's power?" The guard gazes at the memory Fadrielindë in astonishment.

"I don't know what happened to me," she replies slowly, gazing at the dragon's skeleton.

"There's only one way to find out if you are Dragonborn…" The guard pauses. "Try to Shout. According to the old legends, only the Dragonborn can shout without training the way the dragons do." The past Fadrielindë looks confused but opens her mouth.

"Fus!" When she Shouts, the guard stumbles back by the force of the Shout.

"You must be one!" he says, triumphantly. But another guard does not seem to believe it.

"What do you think, Irileth?" he asks the woman. "Do you believe in this Dragonborn business?"

"I only care that there is a dead dragon before me. I don't need some mythical Dragonborn. Someone who can put down a dragon is more than enough for me," she replies harshly. After more discussion of whether or not Fadrielindē is Dragonborn, Irileth orders the army back to Whiterun. The memory Fadrielindë, looking stunned, begins to travel back on her own. As she reaches the gate, an thunderous voice calls out to her from the sky, shaking the ground with the force of its sound.

"DOVAHKIIN!" the voice booms. Memory Fadrielindë looks up at the sky in fascination. The memory fades and I find myself back in the bunker. Fadrielindë removes her hands from my face and waits patiently for me to begin my questions.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! Here's Chapter 4! Please review, favorite, or follow! This is my first Fanfic, so I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

Ch. 4

—Fadrielindë's POV—

Loki's deep emerald eyes meet mine, amazed. I cannot help but smile smugly. He is only the second person with whom I have shared my memories.

"Any questions?" I ask teasingly. He is no longer hiding beneath the uninterested guise as he was before.

"What was that voice that came out of the sky?" he asks thoughtfully.

"It was the Greybeards. They live on the Throat of the World, the highest point in Skyrim. They are masters of the Voice. They summoned me to High Hrothgar to learn more about being the Dovahkiin and to teach me the way of the Voice," I reply. I watch as he considers this.

"What exactly is the Voice?" he asks. "You have mentioned it a lot, but I still do not fully understand what it is." _Hmm, how to explain it._

"Well, remember how I Shouted "Fus" at the guard after I killed my first dragon?" I ask him. He nods. "That is the power of the Voice. It is an ancient form of magic, that not many can perform. Those trained in using the Voice say certain phrases in the Dragon language to create powerful magic effects." Loki still looks confused. I stand up. "I'll show you," I say. I think of a Shout that will not cause too much damage to the bunker. _Ahh, Whirlwind Sprint._ I walk to the end of the hallway.

"Watch carefully," I tell Loki. "This is called Whirlwind Sprint." I take a deep breath, drawing power from the innermost depths of my dragon soul.

"WULD NAH KEST!" I shout. Flurries of snow and wind propel me down the hallway in less than a second. I stop next to Loki, whose mouth is open in awe.

"That is incredible," he says, amazed. I simply smile. I love showing people how powerful I am. Most see my petite slender build and assume I am incapable of defending myself. Little do they know that I am the mythical Dragonborn, as well as the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood, Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold, Stormblade of the Stormcloaks, and the Guild Master of the Thieves Guild.

"Thank you," I reply. "Would you like to see another Thu'um?" He nods eagerly. Before he acted disinterested, but now he has completely given up the act. "I can show you a more destructive one. Is there somewhere we can go where I will not destroy anything important?"

"Yes, we can go to the room across from the armory. We are not using it for anything." I follow him down the hallway to an empty room except for two metal chairs in the corner.

—Loki's POV—

"This one is called Fire Breath," Fadrielindë tells me before taking another deep breath.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" Red hot flames leave her throat and blaze against the metal wall of the room. The wall warps and turns red-hot, almost burning a hole straight through the steel. I feel the heat on my face, watching as Fadrielindë revels in the feeling of her power. She turns around and faces me.

"I could watch you do this all night," I say, forcing a smile. She smiles back. It is not a complete lie. I am amazed by her great power, a power I never knew existed. She seems to unleash this power with little effort, and I am surprised to find myself a bit envious of her. But with Fadrielindë's Thu'ums, my power, and the Staff, I will be unstoppable when the time comes to release the Chitauri. I must simply trick Fadrielindë into trusting me.

"I could too," Fadrielindë replies, perching on the edge of one of the chairs. "But if I am to assist you tomorrow, I need to save my energy." I stride over and join her in the chair next to hers.

"Do you have a limited supply of Thu'ums or something?" I inquire. She tilts her head to the side, her emerald eyes shining. She is so petite and graceful…she sort of reminds me of a bird.

"Kind of…since I have the body of a mortal, my body can only hold so much energy. I need to give myself time to recharge," she explains carefully, as if she does not want to leave out a single detail.

"I suppose that what you get when you have a dragon's soul in the wrong body," I note. She nods, smiling. My eyes linger at her soft pink lips. It is truly incredible how such power could come from her delicate mouth. I mentally shake my head. I mustn't think of Fadrielindë of anything more than a tool for my future reign.

"I'll show you one more." She stands up and carries her chair over to the end of the room. She confidently strides back and faces it. "This is my most powerful Thu'um, and the first one I ever learned." I stand from my chair and watch on.

"What is it called?"

"Unrelenting Force. I have trained long and hard to perfect it." She breathes in deeply. I can almost see the power surging through her veins.

"FUS RO DAH!" Her voice takes on an unearthly tone as it echoes throughout the room. The metal chair slams against the wall with so much force that it shatters into a thousand tiny pieces. I stagger backward, my back pushed against the cold steel, as the Thu'um fans out around Fadrielindë. The whole room reverberates with the force of the Thu'um. I press my hands over my ears to drown out the hollow ringing of Fadrielindë's unworldly echoes. The sound finally dies down. Fadrielindë turns and smirks at my reaction.

"Wow," is all I say, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. She put her hands on her hips and laughs.

"Thank you," she says, bowing sarcastically. No longer able to hide my amazement, I shake my head.

"That was…amazing," I admit unable to comprehend what just passed. So much power! And from such a tiny maiden. I cannot help but be impressed. She is incredible. I chide myself for admiring this strange woman. "If I had the power you possess…" She glides to me and sits on the floor next to me.

"It took a while for me to become accustomed to having so much power. I was raised on the streets of the Imperial City. I was never able to defend myself until I travelled to Skyrim."

"So when you killed the dragon, that was the first time you ever fought?" I ask, incredulously.

"Yes," she replies proudly. She pauses, thinking. I glance over and smile at her furrowed brows. "I think I was able to kill it because my body wanted to absorb its soul. After traveling to the Throat of the World, the Greybeards taught me how to fight and how to control my power." I nod, smiling softly.

"That is quite impressive," I muse.

I hate that I admire her. She is a tool, not a friend. _Or something more?_ a small voice says in the back of my mind. No. I shake my head faintly. I must rid myself of such thoughts if I am to rule Earth. I did not come here to meet strange women from other worlds. It is hard not to be impressed with her, though. She is so strong and intelligent. I can see in her eyes that she has been through hard times. I want to know more about her, the powerful Dragonborn, destined to save the world from total destruction.

Jarring me from my thoughts, Fadrielindë's long black hair brushes my shoulder as she stands. She grabs the other metal chair, the one that wasn't smashed into a million pieces, and sits down facing me.

"So, I have basically told you my whole life story," she says, smiling at me with that teasing smile. "Tell me about yourself." I hesitate.

"There is not much to tell," I say slowly, not wanting to reveal the things I've done. She cocks her eyebrow.

"Why don't you begin with what the Tesseract is and what you plan to do with it?" she says, watching my face for my reaction. I smile.

"I had a feeling you were listening in," I say. "The Tesseract is an unlimited power source. I intend to use it to help the Earth." The lie rolls smoothly off my tongue.

"Help the Earth how?"

"The people of Earth are extremely volatile and disorganized. They need someone to lead and guide them. With the Tesseract, I will be able to show them how to maintain peace on their planet," I explain. She studies my face, probably trying to see if I am lying. Little does she know that I have the gift of deception.

"Why do you need the Tesseract to lead the people of Earth?" she asks warily.

"The Tesseract acts as a portal to different worlds. If the humans decide to attack, I need to make sure I have an army to restore the peace." I sigh. "You must understand. The humans are an extremely primal race. Their attempts at civilization and government have been failures. With my help, I will make sure they have stability and tranquility." She nods, seemingly unconvinced.

"You said earlier that you are from Asgard," she recalls.

"Yes."

"Where is Asgard in relation to Earth and Tamriel?" she asks. I furrow my brow, thinking.

"It is actually not too far from Earth. As for Tamriel… I honestly have no idea where Tamriel even is," I confess.

"Hmm, neither do I. I did not even know there were other worlds until I fell to Earth," she admits, a small smile spreading across her mouth.

"And I never knew there was such a thing as a maiden with the body of a mortal and the soul of a dragon," I reply, unable to stop the smile spreading across my face. She chuckles to herself.

"I suppose we are both expanding our knowledge of the universe," she says, her eyes shining. "It is a good thing you were the one who found me when I fell." She carefully meets my eyes.

Agh, I can't believe I am entranced by her. I look away, trying to keep myself sane. _I cannot afford the distraction, _ I mentally yell at myself. I turn my head and find her still searching my face. _I cannot afford the distraction_, I say again. My eyes move down from her emerald orbs to her lips. _I cannot afford the distraction._ Trailing down from her lips, I see the tips of her golden markings at the base of her neck. I wonder what the rest looks like. No! I shake my head. _I cannot—oh what the hell._ I stop fighting my logical side; a mental switch flips and I allow myself to connect with my reckless side. Almost immediately, I fall into my mental pit of foolishness, allowing my thoughts of Fadrielindë flow freely into my mind. She is beautiful. She is strong. She is intriguing. She is mysterious. I'll let myself have this one distraction.

"Tell me more about your life in Skyrim," I tell her, standing up.

"I will, but let us go to my room. We can sit on the bed and talk."

—Fadrielindë's POV—

I stride down the hall to the medical room and sit down on the bed. Loki sits down next to me, the bed shifting as he does so.

"What do you want to hear about?" I ask him. He thinks for a while. My eyes flit over to his face and I smile. His protective wall has fallen away, leaving me with what I think to be his true self.

"What do you do for a living?" he asks. I laugh lightly.

"Well, I suppose you could say that I am currently trying to save the world," I reply, half joking. "I mentioned it before, but the prophecy says that I am the only one who can kill Alduin and save the world from destruction." I look down at my hands. "That is why I need to get back to Skyrim so desperately. I need to go back and kill Alduin before it is too late."

"That is a lot of pressure for one person," Loki muses.

"Yes, it is."

"What else do you do in Skyrim? And where did you learn your stealth skills?"

"Well…I am in a few…organizations." I hesitate, not wanting to tell him about my not-so-honest involvement in the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. "I am the leader of a guild and…I play an important role in a brotherhood of sorts."

"You do not want to tell me about it, do you?" Loki spots my unwillingness to share.

"I would rather not," I reply. "It would ruin the way you view me."

"And how do I view you?"

"I am guessing you think I am a heroic justice-seeker who never does anything for personal gain."

"Are you saying that you have a darker side?" he presses, smirking. I sigh, not wanting to tell him. But something in me wants to trust him. After being attacked and betrayed time and time again, I have learned to be wary of strangers. I trust no one. But Loki seems…different somehow. I suppose it will not hurt to tell him. I will probably never see him again after I travel back to Skyrim. An almost undetectable bout of sadness pulses inside me at this thought. It is gone before it even begins. Frowning, I pause for a moment before explaining.

"I am the leader of what is called the Thieves Guild. It is basically just what the name implies. We take jobs from people all around Tamriel in exchange for gold," I explain.

"That is not too dishonest," Loki notes.

"Yes, it is not too bad." I pause. "But I am also an important member of the Dark Brotherhood."

"The Dark Brotherhood?"

"It is a group of assassins."

"Ooh, that is interesting. What role do you play in it?"

"I am the Listener. When a client wants us to make a kill, they perform a ritual called the Black Sacrament. They pray to the Night Mother. As the Listener, the Night Mother tells me who the next target is."

"Couldn't the Night Mother just speak to the others to tell them the targets?" Loki inquires.

"No, the Night Mother only speaks to one person," I reply.

"How did you find out that you were the Listener?" I smile at the memory, hearing Cicero's joyous shrieks in my mind.

"It is actually a quite funny story. I was eavesdropping on the Keeper. I thought he had left, so I went into his chamber to view the Night Mother's corpse. I heard him coming back and had to find a place to hide. I ended up hiding in the Night Mother's coffin! I was in there when she first spoke to me," I explain. Loki shakes his head and laughs.

"So you are the Listener in an assassin guild, the head of a thieves guild, and the Dovahkiin," he says, ticking them off on his fingers. "Do you hold any other leadership positions?" he asks jokingly.

"Actually, I am also the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold and an honorary soldier in the Stormcloak army," I say, laughing. "I am quite busy in Skyrim." Loki laughs. I like his laugh. It's mischievous, like a little boy laughing about a prank he just pulled.

"I can imagine," he says. "Do you even have time for friends or family?" I grow solemn.

"I do not have a family. My mother died in childbirth and my father died in a bandit ambush before I was born," I say, suddenly melancholy. "I am never in one place for a long period of time, so I do not have friends. Too many people have died because of me. I have learned to avoid becoming close to anyone. I like to travel alone anyway."

"I am afraid we only have one plane to travel in tomorrow," Loki says jokingly. I smile widely.

"I suppose I will have to manage," I banter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey, everyone! Here is Chapter 5 to Blackheart! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please review!**

Ch. 5

—Fadrielindë—

We end up staying awake all night exchanging stories about our lives on our worlds. At one point in our conversation, the topic of significant others comes up.

"I have never been in a relationship," I answer his question. He raises his eyebrows.

"Never?" he asks. "How? You are so beautiful, I assumed that all the warriors in Skyrim would be after you." I blush when he says that I am beautiful.

"Well, warriors are after me, but not in a loving way. They are mostly bandits who just want to kill me for my gold," I reply, laughing. "What about you? Have you ever been in a relationship?"

"Nothing serious, just a few childhood romances. If you can even call them that," he replies. He gazes into my eyes and I feel heat rush to my cheeks. His eyes are so deep. I feel like he can see straight into my soul.

I hate to admit it, but I actually like Loki immensely. He is intelligent and kind, with a hint of mischief. I have never met anyone like him in all my travels. Because of all the betrayal in my life, I have disallowed myself to feel my emotions. But somehow, this strange man has forced me to face them. I have met plenty of men in Skyrim, whether I was fighting alongside them or actually fighting them. No one has made me feel the way I feel now. And I have not even known him for very long. Is it possible to feel like this about someone I just met?

I find myself getting lost in his gorgeous jade green eyes. I can tell that he feels the same. His lips part as he leans into me. My heart pounding, I slowly lean in. I close my eyes as his lips touch mine gently. His hands travel up to my waist and one holds my cheek. The kiss is so sweet and gentle; I do not want it to end. It ends much sooner than I would like. I open my eyes and stare into his face. He is beautiful. We lean into each other again, but this kiss is different. It is full of passion and fire. By Talos, I never want it to be over. We finally pull apart. I cannot help smiling. He smiles back.

"Well, Dovahkiin, for never being in a relationship, you certainly know how to charm," he says teasingly.

"It is all part of being a Master Thief," I reply, laughing.

"And an assassin," he adds, kissing my neck.

"And the Arch-Mage of the College."

"Oh yes, and do not forget Stormblade of the Stormcloaks."

Morning comes too soon. I dozed off for about an hour, but it was long enough for my body to recharge. When I awaken, Loki is nowhere to be found. I go into the bathroom and, after a long time trying to figure it out, I use the sink to wash up. I gaze at myself in the mirror, unable to keep a smile off my face. My green eyes are sparkling, and my cheeks are flushed. I finger-comb my long dark hair, the ebony strands easily untangling, and tend to my already fading cuts and bruises I had gotten from falling. My fingers trace the golden markings on my neck and I smile softly, remembering how I got them. _I'll have to show Loki sometime, _I think, smirking. I grab the Mace and attach it to my waist. As I enter the main room with the Tesseract, I immediately spot Loki standing with his back to me, facing the glowing cube. The corners of my mouth twitch with the beginning of a smile. _Why am I so enamored by him?_ I wonder. I am never like this. I am the all-powerful Dovahkiin. I do not feel. All my emotions are safely tucked away; love never even crosses my mind. All that matters is the prophecy. But now? I just met him…but somehow I feel like I've known him forever. Loki must hear me laughing to myself because he turns around, his face radiating happiness at seeing me.

"Good morning, Fadrielindë," he says, kissing my cheek when I stride over to him.

"Good morning," I reply. "When are we leaving?" The archer and the older man walk into the room as I ask.

"We will leave in a minute or two," Loki replies. He gestures to the two men. "This is Agent Barton," he says pointing to the archer, "and this is Erik Selvig." He points to the older man.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," I say, bowing my head slightly. Erik smiles kindly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Fadrielindë," he says enthusiastically. "Loki has told us of your involvement in today's plan." Agent Barton looks annoyed.

"I hope you are as good as Loki says you are," he says harshly. Loki glares at him.

_It is fine. I take no offense at what he says._ Loki jumps when he hears my voice in his head. I forgot to tell him that I could project my thoughts into other people's minds.

"Did I just hear you in my head?" he asks, his eyes widening.

_I do not know what you are talking about, _I reply in his mind. He smiles.

_Can you hear me?_ he asks in his mind. I nod. Then I speak aloud.

"I can only hear you reply if I am still in your mind when you think of your response," I tell him. This seems to bother him a little.

"You can see into my mind?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes, don't worry. I have not watched any of your memories. I did not feel it was my place to rummage around in your thoughts," I tell him the truth. He seems to appreciate my discretion because he kisses my cheek again.

"Thank you," he replies. I have to admit that I am immensely curious of his memories. I would never root around in someone else's mind only because of my own curiosity. I only ever break into someone's mind to see their motives or weaknesses if it is for the betterment of others. I convey this to him as we walk to a giant metal machine that resembles a bird. I stop in front of the door to take it all in. The machine is colossal! It is larger than a dragon and all made of metal. Loki notices I stopped following him to the strange machine and he turns back.

"This is a plane," he explains, coming up next to me.

"A…plane?" I ask.

"Yes, it is a vehicle that flies in the sky." _Wow._

"Incredible." I follow him inside of the plane and sit down. I notice that Agent Barton is nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Agent Barton?" I ask Loki. He points to the front of the plane where Agent Barton is fiddling with some kind of control.

"He is operating the plane," Loki clarifies. I want to get closer to Agent Barton to watch him operate the plane, but Loki tells me that we are lifting off. I perch at the edge of my seat, which is directly next to Loki's, of course, as I feel a rumbling beneath our feet. The plane tilts back and suddenly we are airborne.

_It is like riding a dragon,_ I project in Loki's mind.

"You have ridden a dragon?" he asks incredulously. Smiling, I nod.

"That is how I travelled to Sovngarde." I suddenly feel grim, remembering that I still need to go back to Skyrim to fulfill the prophecy. Loki strokes my hair.

"It will be alright, my love," he murmurs. I smile unconvincingly and lean my head on his shoulder.

"How long will it take to travel to…" I begin, forgetting the name of the place we are headed to.

"Stuttgart, Germany," Loki reminds me.

"Ah, yes."

"About ten hours," he tells me.

_That is a long time, _I reply.

_Yes, it is,_ I hear him say.

—MEANWHILE—

"Have you found him yet?" Fury yells at his team. How hard is it to find an Asgardian God amongst humans?

"No, sir, we are still running the facial recognition," someone says.

"Well, do it faster! I didn't bring the Avengers onboard to wait around!" Fury storms out of the main hangar and into the lab where Tony Stark and Bruce Banner are working. They are in the middle of a scientific banter.

"It would only work at 300 degrees Fahrenheit," Banner is saying as Fury walks in.

"Unless it was already superheated when it was first manufactured," Stark argues. _What are they talking about?_ Fury spots Steve Rogers leaning against the wall, clueless to what Stark and Banner are arguing about. When he sees Fury, he straightens up.

"Have you found him yet, sir?" he inquires, clenching his fists. "As much as I love hearing Stark and Banner fight about their science projects, I'd much rather be hunting down Loki." Stark and Banner glance up when they hear their names, forgetting their pointless banter.

"Unfortunately, we have yet to find the location of Loki," Fury informs them. "We are running the security footage from his arrival through a facial recognition program. If anyone sees him, we will be informed immediately." Stark cocks his head.

"You know, if I was running the search, we would have found him hours ago," he boasts. Steve rolls his eyes.

"I'm sure," Fury says sarcastically. Steve speaks up.

"What about the other woman? The one Loki took?" he asks.

"Oh yeah, the alien warrior princess?" Stark inquires. "What happened to her?" Fury shrugs.

"We haven't seen her either, but we are running her through the scan too," he replies. "Our only choice right now is to wait until there is a match." Right as he speaks, Natasha Romanov runs through the door.

"Sir!" she shouts at Fury. "We found him." There is a pause. Then everyone springs up and sprints to the main hangar.

—Fadrielindë—

We have been flying for ages. I lift my head from Loki's shoulder and find that he is fast asleep. He looks so peaceful. I hate myself for falling for him; there is something huge that he is not telling me. I have always viewed love as a weakness. _What is he hiding?_ I tentatively reach into his mind. I feel awful, but I _have_ to know. I blink, visualizing myself in his mind. Memories flurry by. A loving mother, but not his real mother. Living in his brother's shadow. Then a darker memory surfaces. A dark, desolate place. A blood red sky, black clouds swirling in the air. A threatening voice. All of a sudden, Loki awakens, and I fling myself out of his mind. I smile nervously when he looks over at me.

"Good morning," I say, as if I was not just rifling through his deepest thoughts. He replies with a kiss. The memories I just witnessed leave my mind as I am enveloped in his arms.

"Sir," Agent Barton interrupts us. We unwillingly part, and Loki waits for Agent Barton to finish.

"We are here."

Loki face breaks into a mischievous smile.

"Excellent." He leaps up and helps me undo my seat harness. My heart leaps when our hands touch. _What is wrong with me?_ I stand up and follow Loki to the door. He hands me the Mace, and I take it, loving the way it feels in my hand. He picks up his scepter then turns to face me.

"Are you ready?" Loki studies my face.

"I have slain about a hundred dragons, assassinated the Emperor, and stolen countless priceless artifacts. This is nothing," I reply confidently.

"Ha! You are so humble," he laughs, sarcastically. I elbow his ribs. Tossing my hair, I stride past him out of the plane where Agent Barton and another man are waiting.

"You're with me," Agent Barton tells me. "And so is he." He gestures to the man. I incline my head in a silent greeting. But then I furrow my brow.

"Where will you be going?" I ask, turning to Loki.

"I am the distraction, remember?" he reminds me. I watch in awe as a golden glow surrounds his body. His armor disappears, replaced by a black suit and green scarf draped upon his shoulders. He laughs at my expression.

"You are not the only one who can do magic, love," he laughs. I hit him playfully and glide past him. He grabs my arm and pulls me close.

"Good luck," he murmurs. The corners of my mouth turn upward.

"Thanks," I reply softly. His lips cover mine and my heart pounds. We part too soon, always too soon, and I walk over to Agent Barton, who looks awkward. I salute Loki sarcastically, and he returns it with a laugh and a wave. I watch him walk confidently in the other direction, toward a huge mansion with soft classical music playing inside. Sophisticated-looking people mill around outside, all dressed in formal attire.

"Ready?" Agent Barton interrupts my observation. I grip the Mace and conjure flames in my other hand.

"Yes," I reply. He nods.

"Let's go." I sneak along behind him as we creep around the mansion to the back. I tap his shoulder when I see two guards up ahead. Both of them are holding odd looking weapons that sort of resemble crossbows. Agent Barton nods and gives me a look that says, "Go ahead." I smile wickedly, the assassin in me coming out. Leaving the two men behind me, I sneak up to one of the guards. I go behind him, completely undetected and knock him unconscious with the Mace. The other guard hears him collapse and anxiously looks around for the attacker. I deftly climb up to the ledge on which he is standing and strike his head with the Mace, knocking him out. I leap down from the ledge and meet Agent Barton past the now unguarded gate. We come to a locked metal door. When Agent Barton presses buttons on a pad next to the door, it projects the words "Retinal Scan".

"Now we wait," Agent Barton says.

—Loki—

I casually stride down the stairs into the party. Men and women walk around a hideous stone table, chatting about their dull lives. Everyone quiets down as the curator who is hosting the party begins to speak. _Aha, just the man I need. _I smile menacingly, gripping the scepter in my hand. In one stroke, I swing it, knocking the two security guards off of the staircase. Chaos ensues. The humans run around aimlessly. I grab the curator by his collar and drag him to the ugly stone table everyone was goggling at earlier. Taking the device Agent Barton gave me out of my coat, I hold the man down. I bring the device down into his eye and smirk as the humans scream in terror. _How pathetic._ I let go of the curator and slowly walk out of the mansion. A golden glow surrounds my body as my armor reappears. The humans are cowering in fear before me. This is what I am here for. For power.

"Kneel before me," I order the humans. They all stand there wide-eyed and motionless. Rolling my eyes, I yell, "I said, kneel!" I strike the scepter on the ground, sending vibrations throughout the ground. The humans slowly move to the ground. _There we go. _

_ "_Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." I cannot help but feel a slight bit guilty. _What would Fadrielindë think of me if she saw me right now?_ I shake my head, shooing the thought from my mind. This is the real reason I came here. Not to fall in love with some strange Dragonborn from another world. An old man rises from the crowd, interrupting my indecision.

"Not to men like you," he spits. Raising my eyebrows, I smile.

"There are no men like me," I laugh maliciously. The man retaliates.

"There are always men like you," he states. No longer amused, I reply.

"Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example." I aim the scepter at him and send a burst of energy at the old man. I am suddenly thrown back as the power intended to hit the old man is deflected. I look up and see the soldier wearing red, white, and blue hooking his shield back onto his arm.

"You know," he says, "the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everyone else, we ended up disagreeing." I stand up.

"The soldier. A man out of time," I say, recognizing him. The civilians call him Captain America.

"I'm not the one who's out of time," he replies. He jumps at me, trying to hit me with his shield. I send a blast of power at him with the scepter, but he deflects it once more. We are engaged in combat when a plane descends, close to the ground. A woman's voice rings through the speakers of the plane, telling me to back down. _Yeah, right_. I strike Captain America with my scepter. Suddenly, loud music plays over the speakers of the plane. The one they call Iron Man flies into the square where I am fighting Captain America. He lands and holds out his arm. Guns and missiles come out of his suit, threatening to shoot me. I put my hands up in a surrender. _Perfect. All according to plan._

Suddenly, I see Fadrielindë, a shocked expression on her face, running towards us. I can tell she has seen us fighting. She holds out her hand and flames shoot toward Captain America and Iron Man. They leap into action, engaging in combat with her. Even though she is currently ruining my plan, I cannot help but feel impressed as I watch her skillfully fight the two men. She fights both of them at once, deftly dodging Captain America's swings and striking Iron Man with her mace at the same time. She is so engaged in the battle, she does not notice when Captain America sneaks up behind her and strikes her with his shield. She turns in surprise as he strikes her again on the head. She falls to the ground, barely conscious.

I want to run to her, to see if she is alright, but Iron Man comes up to me and leads me onto the plane. I sit down and try not to look worried as Captain America practically carries Fadrielindë onto the plane. He sets her in the seat across from me and straps her in. He joins Iron Man at the front of the plane, probably to congratulate each other on capturing us. I gaze at Fadrielindë who is having trouble keeping her eyes open. I never meant for her to be captured. Barton's job was to keep her away while I got captured. Her eyes flutter open and close. Suddenly, I hear her voice in my mind.

_Are you alright? _she asks.

_I am fine, _I reply in my mind. _I am more worried about you._

_I am alright. I have been worse._

_You should save your energy, _I tell her. She smiles weakly.

_I am already regaining it. _I can tell. Her eyes are already more alert, and she straightens up in her seat. She gazes around, taking in her surroundings.

_Who are they? _she asks, referring to Iron Man and Captain America.

_They are trying to stop my plans, _I reply.

_Hmm…if you can get one of them over here, I can Shout and we can escape,_ she plans. I shake my head slightly, so the others do not notice.

_It would not work. They are trained in combat._

_So am I. _She smiles. I feel someone's gaze on us and see the red-headed woman looking at us suspiciously. Fadrielindë must notice too, because she stops responding. Suddenly, the plane jerks as a clap of thunder echoes through the air. _Oh no._ I gaze around worriedly. Captain America notices my expression.

"What's the matter? Scared of a little lightning?" he asks, mockingly.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows," I confess. Fadrielindë catches my eye.

_What is going on?_ she asks. All of a sudden, there is a bang on the top of the plane.

"Someone is on top of the plane!" the woman yells, trying to navigate the plane through the rapidly forming storm. The door of the plane whips open, and, sure enough, Thor storms up to me. He grabs me by my collar and jumps out of the plane.

—Fadrielindë—

I watch in horror as the man rips Loki from the harness and jumps off the plane.

"Now there's that guy," the metal man remarks.

"Another Asgardian?" the red-haired woman flying the plane asks.

"Think the guy's a friendly?" the shield man asks. The metal one they call 'Stark' shakes his head.

"Doesn't matter. If he frees Loki or kills him," I suppress a shudder, "the Tesseract's lost," Stark finishes. He turns around and gets ready to jump off the plane.

"Stark! We need a plan of attack!" the shield man shouts.

"I have a plan. Attack." Stark jumps out of the plane and out of sight. I turn my head to see the shield man's reaction.

"I'd sit this one out, Cap," the red-haired lady says, trying to steady the plane.

"I don't see how I can," he replies, putting on a harness.

"These guys come from legends. They're basically gods," the red-haired woman counters.

"There's only one God, ma'am. And I'm pretty sure He doesn't dress like that." He jumps out of the plane, following Stark. I know I need to save my energy, but I need to make sure Loki is alright. I stealthily fiddle with the harness holding me to the seat. It will not budge! _Fine. _I remember a summoning spell I learned from the College of Winterhold and summon the Mace to my hand, slashing the harness apart as I catch it. The red-haired lady turns back, hearing the ruckus.

"No!" she shouts, as I dive out of the plane after the others.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, guys! I was so excited to get my first follow and first favorites last week! Now if I could only get a review... :) I hope you enjoy Chapter 6!**

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Ch. 6

—Fadrielindë—

I fall through the air, hurtling toward the ground. Panicked, I search my mind for a slowing spell. I remember a Thu'um! Slow Time! I draw in a deep breath and try to concentrate. I almost smile as I feel the power rip through my body.

"Tiid klo ul!" Time slows, and I slowly near the ground. I land softly on my feet as time resumes. I gaze around me and find that I am in an evergreen forest, similar to the forests surrounding Riften. I follow sounds of combat to a small clearing. The man who stole Loki is fighting the shield man. I desperately search for Loki with my eyes and feel relief surge through my body when I find him watching the fight from a high rocky ledge. I am about to reach out to him with my mind when a loud blast draws my attention back to the fight. Stark has fired a missile at the ground, sending the shield man and the other man flying backwards.

_That other man is my brother…Thor__,_ I suddenly hear in my mind. I look back at Loki and see that he is gazing directly at me. I start to wonder how he spoke into my mind, when I realize I was already in his. My instincts kick in. I need to defend Thor.

_Fadrielindë, no! _I leap into the clearing, Mace at the ready. One second passes. Then everyone springs into action. Thor stands to the side as Stark and the shield man pounce. I easily deflect their blows, making sure to be more aware of where they are. Thor seems to realize I am fighting against them and he joins them. _What?! _Now I am fighting three skilled fighters at once—something I have done before. But these men are far more skilled than most of the enemies I have faced in Skyrim. I feel myself starting to lose. I am outnumbered. Why isn't Loki helping me? I decide to use the one power I know these men do not have. I draw in a deep breath, still avoiding their strikes. Raw power runs through my veins as the unearthly voice rips through my throat.

"FUS RO DAH!" The men are flung back, and trees snap in half with the force of my Thu'um. A crater forms around me. Fallen trees and destruction surround me. The Thu'um leaves a ringing echo in the cool air. I fall to my knees in exhaustion as the last of my energy leaves me. I hear rustling behind me but cannot move quickly enough. A blunt object strikes the back of my head, and I lose consciousness.

—Loki—

I watch in worry as Fadrielindë collapses to the ground, Thor standing behind her with his blessed hammer poised to strike again. Fadrielindë is carried away, not very gently, by Stark. Thor appears behind me. I wordlessly follow him to the landing plane. Once seated inside, Stark fits restraints onto my wrists. Across from me is Fadrielindë, shackled as well. Her head hangs limply. I can see a purple bruise forming where Thor struck her. Another thing to hate him for. They fastened her harness tightly, and a gag is tied around her mouth. Now they know about her Shouts…this is not good. Now that they know of her strength, they will monitor her more closely and she may not be able to return to Skyrim. I notice that she is in a different seat than last time. I look at her original seat and grin when I find the harness shredded to bits. Thor and the others are quietly conversing at the front of the plane. No doubt discussing Fadrielindë's abilities. A knot of dread forms in my stomach. What do they plan to do with her? I hate myself for falling in love with her, but at the same time, I am glad of it. I always believed that no one could ever love me, yet she does.

After flying for what seems like ages, we land on a helipad high in the sky. Their base! I remain in my seat as Captain America undoes Fadrielindë's harness. He lifts her out of her seat and carries her out of the plane. My eyebrows knit in worry. I feel someone's gaze upon me and turn to see Thor looking at me, suspicion in his eyes. I narrow my eyes in hatred. A group of guards enter the plane and lead me into the SHIELD base. As we parade through the hallway, I see Banner in the lab. I smirk as we make eye contact. Little does he know what I have planned for him. We enter a large room down the hall. I am guided into a clear cylindrical cell in the middle of the room. The door slides close and locks as Fury strides into the room. He walks to a control panel in front of my cell.

"In case it's unclear, you try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass," he pauses, hitting a button. The floor opens up below the cell, giving me a clear view of a coast thousands of feet below.

"Thirty thousand feet, straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?" He gestures to me. "Ant." He gestures to the button. "Boot." I laugh, just to irk him.

"It's an impressive cage. Not built, I think, for me," I say.

"Built for something a lot stronger than you," Fury replies, trying to look cool.

"Oh, I've heard." I look into a camera focused on the cell. I know the others are watching the footage live. "The mindless beast, makes play to be the man. How desperate are you? You call on these lost creatures to defend you," I taunt. Fury raises his eyebrows.

"How desperate am I? You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill 'cause it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did," he banters. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"Ooh," I continue, irking him on. "It burns you to come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share, and then to be reminded what real power is." I can tell Fury is having trouble remaining calm.

"Yeah, well, let me know if Real Power wants a magazine or something," he says as he leaves the room. I smirk at the camera, knowing they are all watching, while trying to hide my worry for Fadrielindë. _Where did they take her?_

—Fadrielindë—

My head is filled with strange dreams of Alduin and Sovngarde. I move my head around, trying to shake off the blackness. I open my eyes and immediately regret doing so. A bright white light shines into my eyes, and my head pounds. _Bright lights and head injuries seem to have become a recurring theme._ I am laying down on a soft surface. _A bed? _I try to move my hands to my temples, but realize my wrists are strapped down at my sides. I try to move my legs, but they are strapped down as well. I open my eyes and will them to adjust to the bright light. I feel a rough cloth against my face and realize it is a gag. I strain against the restraints but to no avail. I am trying to blink away the spots in my vision when I hear a door open, and someone enters the room. I can see that it is the red-haired woman, but it is hard to focus on her face. She sits down next to me on a stool, saying nothing. I have so many things to say to her. Most of them are Thu'ums. I suppose that is the reason for the gag. I am reminded of Ulfric that day in Helgen. Did he feel this helpless without his Voice? She finally speaks.

"My name is Natasha Romanov," she begins. At least I know her name now. She shifts in her seat. "I understand Loki found you after you fell through a portal?" She waits for a response from me. Not able to do anything else, I nod slightly, my head spinning. I can see her thinking. Not much can get worse so I decide to project into her mind.

_I am too weak to Shout, if that is what you are worried about, _I say in her mind. She jerks at the sound of my voice in her head. I blink, my vision still swimming. She nods and reaches around me to remove the gag. I cough once it is off; my throat burns. Natasha must notice, because she lifts a glass of water to my lips. I drink gratefully.

"Thank you," I get out. She gets right to the point.

"Why did you decide to stay with Loki? You do know what he is planning, right?" she inquires. I squeeze my eyes shut, wanting my head to stop throbbing. It has never hurt this badly. Not even when I fell out of the sky a few days ago.

"Loki told me everything," I reply. When she doesn't reply, I reopen my eyes.

"Was everything he told you the truth?" she presses, not seeming to believe me. I furrow my brow. _What is she talking about?_

"He told me that he is going to use the Tesseract to bring order and peace to Earth," I say slowly. Natasha says nothing, cocking her eyebrow. _Loki would not lie to me…right? _I recall his demeanor on our first encounter. He showed no signs of deception. Or did he? I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking back. I picture us sitting on the bed.

_"__The Tesseract is an unlimited power source. I intend to use it to help the Earth," he had said. His face shows no expression._

_"__Help the Earth how?" I had asked._

_Without hesitation, he had replied, "The people of Earth are extremely volatile and disorganized. They need someone to lead and guide them. With the Tesseract, I will be able to show them how to maintain peace on their planet." He had told me that the Tesseract is a portal between worlds. "If the humans decide to attack, I need to make sure I have an army to restore the peace," he had said. _

He said the humans were a primal race…yet here I am speaking to one, and she is definitely not a volatile, primal being.

"You were going to help him use the Tesseract?" she asks. I shrug. "Did he give you an incentive or something?" I feel betrayed.

"He told me that if I helped him, he would use the Tesseract to send me back to my world," I say, the truth beginning to dawn on me. "I suppose I blocked out the truth because I am so desperate to get back to Skyrim," I confess. Natasha nods.

"Do you want to hear the real story?" she asks. _No, yes, I do not know._ I sigh, not wanting to accept the reality.

"I suppose…" I cannot believe this. I feel so naivë and stupid. Natasha notices my expression.

"Well, first of all, you can trust us. We're the good guys," she studies my face then continues. "Loki stole the Tesseract from one of our most secure SHIELD bases. He means to use it to wage war upon the Earth by opening a portal to another world. There is an army waiting for the portal to open, and once it does, it will destroy Earth. Loki only wants to rule. You are just another pawn in his game," she explains. I feel empty. She studies my fallen face and says, "I'm sorry." I open my mouth to reply, but find there is nothing for me to say. I just nod. She gets up and turns to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," she says, turning back to me. I meet her gaze. "What is your name?" she asks simply.

"Fadrielindë," I reply softly. She nods briskly before leaving the room.

I lay back and stare at the ceiling. _How_ could this have happened? To me! A master of speech craft! He lied to my face and I completely fell for it. I never let myself get clouded by emotions. I actually thought he was in love with me. _How stupid!_ I mentally kick myself. Looking back, I know that I should have been more wary of him. But he somehow wormed his way into my heart and basically forced me to care about him. I have never felt so used. He blatantly used my own emotions against me. I sigh, letting my head go limp against the bed. I feel tears threatening to spill over. No! I refuse to cry over him. I'm not some weak little lovestruck girl. I am the legendary Dragonborn! I do not expose myself to emotions. _Except you did, _ a small voice reminds me in my head. _You fell in love with a lying, manipulative stranger and look what happened. When will you learn, Fadrielindë?_ After everything that has happened to me, you'd think that I'd know by now to never trust anyone. Or fall in love with them. The one time I let myself slip…the one time I thought it was real…I shake my head. He ended up being just like the rest of the conniving filth that I run into on my travels throughout Tamriel. I close my eyes and try to distance myself from feeling. Now I know. My emotions will stay tucked away. I will build a wall around them. And no one, _no one_, will break it down.

"Did you talk to her?" Fury asks as Natasha struts into the main hangar. She sits down at the table with Stark, Rogers, Banner, and Thor.

"Yes," she replies. Everyone looks at her curiously.

"What did she say?" Rogers asks.

"Well, first of all, her name is Fadrielindë," Natasha starts.

"Bless you," Stark remarks. Natasha gives him a look that makes him raise his hands up, feigning innocence. Thor speaks up.

"Did she say why she was with Loki? He didn't use mind control on her."

"He manipulated her, plain and simple," Natasha replies. "She looked really upset when I told her."

"Did she say where she is from? Or what species she is?" Stark asks.

"She mentioned a place called Skyrim," Natasha recalls, looking at Fury. He shakes his head.

"I've never heard of it."

"Maybe I should go talk to her," Thor offers. "I might be able to get more information out of her." Everyone turns their attention to him.

"I know how Loki is and how manipulative he can be. I am sure she feels betrayed," he continues. Fury throws up his hands, exasperated.

"Sure, go ahead," he agrees reluctantly. "Maybe you can get her to ask Loki what he is up to." Thor nods and leaves the room. Fury looks around at everyone else.

"This is a mess."

—Fadrielindë—

My eyes fly open when I hear the door open once more. It is Thor.

"May I?" he asks, gesturing to the stool by the bed. I move my hand as much as I can with the restraints, inviting him to sit. He plops down. He is a huge man, with muscles rippling throughout his body. Contrasting his masculine appearance is shoulder length blond hair. He is wearing black and red armor, complete with a red cape. In his hand is a giant hammer. His eyes study my face. He almost winces when he sees the giant bruise on my head. He points to it.

"I am really sorry about that," he apologizes. I close my eyes. _Why is he even here? _There is a long silence.

"Listen, I grew up with Loki. I have known him since I was born. I know how manipulative he can be…" Thor tries to reassure me. I say nothing and keep my eyes shut. All of my emotions are safely put away again. I feel nothing. I open my eyes and jerk when I feel his hand on my arm. I turn my head to look at him. I can see a deep sadness in his eyes.

"I do not know what has made him this way, but I am deeply sorry that he has done this to you," he says troubled. I open my mouth and speak for the first time.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better, but it is not that simple," I tell him. He nods.

"We have a proposition for you," he says. _Fantastic, another deal._ "If you help us stop Loki, we will return you to your world," he finishes. I think about this.

"How do I know that you are the good guys?" I ask, using the phrase that Natasha had used.

As if on cue, another man enters the room. He is wearing a long black trench coat. An eyepatch covers one of his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt," his voice is commanding and loud. Thor stands up, looking annoyed at the interruption. The man takes Thor's seat. "I am Director Fury," he says. "I take it you're not from around here?"

"Why do you ask?" I inquire, not trusting him. I would much rather speak to Thor. He seems to genuinely care.

"Loki used your unfamiliarity for Earth against you. He is going to wage war on this planet and kill thousands of innocent civilians. We need you to help us stop him," Fury stops to see my reaction. I regard him with caution. "You can trust us," he adds. I raise my eyebrows and look pointedly at the wrist and ankle restraints.

"You want me to trust you, yet you can not trust me in return?" I ask harshly. Thor speaks up.

"I can see where she is coming from," Thor supports me. I give him a small smile. Fury sighs and looks to the ceiling.

"Fine," he says huffily. He unfastens my wrists while Thor undoes the restraints on my ankles. I sit up and rub my wrists painfully. "We had to take necessary precautions," Fury defends himself.

I glare at him. "You never answered my question."

"If you help us stop Loki, we will have the Tesseract once more in our possession. We can then use it to return you to your home world," Fury explains.

"What would you have me do to help?" I ask carefully. I need to be careful who I trust.

"The first thing you can do is find out what Loki plans to do while onboard," Fury tells me. Thor pipes up again.

"We think he got captured on purpose. We need to find out why." I consider this. It will be hard to face Loki, but I will have to eventually.

"Fine," I agree. "But I will not be your prisoner. I need to have free reign." I cross my arms. Fury nods.

"Okay." He turns and leaves the room, leaving the door open. _That was easy._ I turn to Thor.

"Do you trust them?" I ask. For some reason, I find it easy to trust _him_, of all people. Thor furrows his brow.

"No, but we actually need to stop Loki. For once, they are fighting for an agreeable cause." He moves out into the hallway. "Follow me. I will take you to meet the others."

—Loki—

I pace my cell, thinking about Fadrielindë. Where did they take her? What are they going to do with her now that they know of her powers? This was never meant to happen. I wince, recalling the hard blow Thor made to her head. I mentally kick myself for caring about her. I was sent here to rule Earth, not to fall in love. How did I become so sidetracked? I should have left her lying in the cornfield after she fell through the portal. I picture her waking up, disoriented and confused, in a strange new place galaxies away from her home. I shake my head vigorously. No, I could never have left her. I continue pacing back and forth, deep in thought. What is it about her that made me fall so deeply in love? I imagine her beautiful face, piercing emerald eyes, and teasing smile. I love her strength and independence. Her determination to fulfill the prophecy. I love that she started as an orphan, raised on the streets, fighting her way to the top. And now she is a savior to thousands. I smile softly. And to me. I never thought I would find anyone who would love me. I never thought _I_ would love anyone ever again, especially after everything that happened with my "family". I hate caring so much for a single person, but I cannot help but love her. I think of the reason I am here. I am to get the Chitauri through the portal to Earth. I remember the threats whispered to me. If I fail, he will do something so horrendous that I will crave death. I shudder, unable to think of anything worse. I shoo the dark thought from my mind and focus on the task at hand. I only need to wait for Barton and the rest of the men to find the helipad and steal the Tesseract back. I stop pacing and sit on a bench at the back of my cell. I will be waiting a while.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys! Sorry, I haven't posted in a while! Thank you sooo much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! They seriously made my day! Here is Chapter 7. I hope you enjoy!**

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Ch. 7

—Fadrielindë—

Thor leads me to a large hangar; a giant window accents the front of the room, giving me a clear view of the endless blue sky. I turn away from the window and see six people sitting at a round metal table. I recognize Stark, Natasha, Fury, and the shield man. There is another man in a suit with brown hair and kind eyes and another man with greying brown hair. Thor sits down and offers me the seat next to him. They all eye me warily. Thor clears his throat.

"Everyone, this is Fadrielindë," he states. I raise my hand in a half-sarcastic wave. The shield man narrows his eyes. Fury must notice because he speaks up.

"Fadrielindë has decided to help us stop Loki," he says, his loud voice commanding the room. The shield man does not seem to believe Fury.

"Why?" he asks harshly. Fury opens his mouth to speak, but I stop him, wanting to respond myself.

"Because I feel partly responsible for what has happened already. I was a fool. I have never been to Earth before and believed the first person I met. Loki told me that the people of Earth were savages and that he was going to use the Tesseract to bring peace and order to the world." I shake my head shamefully. "I now know that it was all a lie."

"Do not feel bad, Fadrielindë," Thor says. "Loki is known on Asgard as the God of Lies." I simply nod. The shield man suddenly rises from his seat and strides over to me. He holds out his hand. I recall seeing someone engage in this odd Earth ritual, so I take his hand.

"It's nice to have you as part of the team, Fadrielindë," he says. "I'm Steve Rogers." I give him a small smile. "I'm also sorry for hitting you with my shield," he says, smiling. I laugh.

"I would have done the same thing," I reassure him. The man with greying hair rises from his chair as well. He is an older man, with salt-and-pepper hair. He has a kindly smile, but looks quite weary. He takes my hand.

"I'm Bruce Banner," he introduces himself. I smile.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," I say, practicing the Skyrim niceties. The man in the suit comes up to me.

"I'm Agent Coulson. It's nice to meet you," he says, taking my hand. I smile warmly. Stark also approaches me, but he does not reach for my hand. He hits me softly on the shoulder.

"I'm Tony Stark. I'm also sorry for shooting at you…and attacking you…" he pauses.

"It is perfectly fine," I reply. "I am the one who started it." He studies my face. "Where are you from?" he asks.

"I am from Tamriel, and before you ask me where it is in relation to Earth, I have no idea," I say.

"Tamriel? That must be why your name is such a mouthful," he remarks. I cannot tell if he is joking or not. "I'll just call you Fadriel," he decides.

"You do know that Fadriel is only one syllable shorter than Fadrielindë, right?" I point out. He gives me a look. "Have you ever even heard of Tamriel?" I add. Instead of answering, he circles me.

"What are you doing?" I ask, becoming very annoyed.

"Your ears…" he notices. "What are you?" he asks bluntly, referring to my race. I roll my eyes.

"My mother was a High Elf, and my father was an Imperial," I say, sighing in irritation. Everyone else in the room stays silent, watching us, well, mostly me.

"Where did you learn to fight? And do that…yelling thing?" He keeps pelting me with questions. Before I can retort, Fury speaks up.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but we have business to attend to." He look pointedly at me. Ah, yes. I am supposed to talk to Loki. I walk to the table with the others and sit down as a feeling of dread washes over me. Thor must notice because he pats my shoulder reassuringly.

"It will be alright," he says softly. He seems to be the only one who sees how much I care for Loki. I mean, _cared_. I remember to put my emotions away; I am stronger without them. I face the others.

"What do you want me to say to him?" I ask, looking at each of them. Natasha speaks for the first time since I met the others.

"Well, we need to find out the real reason he's here. We need to come up with a way for you to ask him without him realizing it," she states. I think. Tony looks pensive.

"Just use your wily, elven charms on him," he says sarcastically. I narrow my eyes at him. Thor nudges me slightly, without the others noticing. My eyes dart to the side to see him in my peripheral vision. He is looking pointedly at me. What is he trying to tell me?

_What is it? _I project into his mind. I find that I do not mind if Thor knows about my telepathic powers. He jumps, shaking the whole table, and everyone stares at him.

"Sorry," he apologizes.

_How are you doing that? _he asks in his head.

_Never mind that, what are you trying to tell me?_ The others are still brainstorming ways for me to get information out of Loki. Thor looks unsure of himself.

_I know that you…er…care about Loki,_ he says carefully. I turn my head toward him and he meets my surprised gaze evenly. _There is no point in hiding it._

_Ugh, is it really that obvious?_ I ask. Thor shakes his head slightly.

_No,_ he says. _I just know what it looks like when someone is in love._ He stops abruptly. Natasha is looking at him.

"Thor? What do you think?" she asks.

"Uh, sorry, could you repeat that? I was thinking," Thor stammers. She rolls her eyes.

"I asked if you think there is a better chance of Loki telling everything to you instead of Fadriel," she says, using the nickname Tony gave me. Thor shakes his head vigorously.

"He would never tell me anything. Fadrielindë would be able to get more information out of him," he answers.

_I am sorry,_ he says in his mind. _I know it will be difficult for you to speak to him, but he will tell you everything if he believes you are still on his side._ I nod slightly and tell him to tell the rest of the group.

"Loki will tell Fadrielindë everything if he believes she is still on his side," Thor says aloud. Steve nods slowly.

"So basically just go in there and tell him that you are going to help him break out of here?" Steve asks.

"But we don't know if Loki actually wants to break out," Tony reminds the group. Coulson chimes in.

"We need to come up with a way for her to—" he begins. Feeling frustrated, I speak up."I think everyone is overthinking this," I say loudly. "I have interrogated people before. I know what to say." Tony raises his eyebrows.

"Well, there you have it," he tells the group. He turns to me. "Go ahead then, Silvertongue." I roll my eyes. Fury walks to the door.

"Follow me." He walks out into the hallway. I follow him, looking back at Thor. He gives me a small reassuring smile.

_Good luck, _he says in his mind. I smile at him unconvincingly, then walk out into the hallway.

.

"He is right in here," Fury says, stopping at a locked metal door. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. "Are you sure you can do this?" Fury asks.

"Yes, I am just collecting my thoughts," I say, trying to keep my voice even. He unlocks the door, and I step inside. Fury closes and locks the door behind me as I observe my surroundings. I am in a large metal room with a clear circular cell in the middle. There is a control panel directly in front of the cell. I slowly walk towards it, keeping my movements silent. My eyes fall on Loki, who is standing in the middle of the cell facing the other direction. I walk up to the glass and take a deep breath. He must hear me, because he turns around. Once his eyes meet mine, I feel lost in his gaze once more. I focus and remember why I am here. He smiles widely and comes up to the glass.

"Fadrielindë," he says, relieved to see me. "Are you alright?" he asks, worried.

"I am fine," I say, my voice hard. He studies my face.

"Did they harm you?" he asks. I shake my head.

"No, they did not," I answer. I swallow. Loki's brow furrows.

"What is the matter?" he asks. I place my hand on the glass and he mirrors me. Here it goes.

"Why did you lie to me?" The question leaves my lips before I can stop it. There goes the plan. Loki's eyebrows lower.

"Lie to you about what? What did they tell you?" he asks angrily. I hesitate. It's too late to backtrack…I'll have to give up on the plan. Silently apologizing to the others, I take a breath.

"You told me that you were here to save Earth. Instead you mean to wage war on the innocent!" I say, my eyes shining with unshed tears. Loki's face contorts.

"Is that what they told you? And you believe them?" Nodding, I press onward.

"Do you care about me at all? Or was that a lie too?" I spit.

"I do care about you, Fadrielindë," he tries to reassure me. I shake my head.

"How do I know you are not lying?" I ask, my tears threatening to spill over. "If you had to choose between me and ruling Earth, what would you choose?" He opens and closes his mouth. When he does not answer, I speak for him. "Of course," I say softly, trying to keep my emotions in check. "I knew it."

"Fadrielindë, you do not understand—" he begins. "They have filled your head with lies!" I shake my head.

"How could you kill thousands of innocent people just to rule? You are doing to this world exactly what I am trying to stop in my own world! I am risking everything to stop my world from ending, yet here you are, wanting to bring this world to ruin!" I turn around, not wanting him to see my tears overflow. "You are a monster," I whisper. I hear him shift in his cell.

"_I _am a monster? No, you brought the monster," he says, his voice full of hatred. "Fadrielindë, I _do_ care about you, but I will do anything and everything to make sure that the Chitauri come through that portal to Earth. Please, Fadrielindë. I do not want to have to fight against you too," he pleads. I whip around, no longer caring if he sees my tears.

"I would _never_ help you destroy an innocent world," I spit at him. "No matter how much you may _care_ about me." I turn on my heel and storm out of the room.

.

I do not even know where I am going—I only know that I have to get away—away from everything. I find a rusted ladder leading up to an empty lookout tower. I draw my knees to my chest, trying to keep my emotions distant, but it is impossible. I have never felt so betrayed. I weep, finally letting myself feel all of the emotions I skillfully had tucked away. For the first time in my life, I let all of my emotions overwhelm me. Deep sadness for the loss of my parents whom I never knew. Fear of failing the prophecy. Guilt for all of the lives I have taken, both guilty and innocent. Loneliness from always pushing everyone away. And betrayal for thinking I had found love. For the first time, I let myself really feel. All of the emotions I had pushed back are finally overflowing, spilling out of me. I hate it. I hate how vulnerable and helpless I feel. But I can't stop it. I was never one to share my feelings, but ever since I found out I was the Dovahkiin it worsened. I not only kept them a secret from those around me, but from myself as well. I knew it wasn't healthy, but I did not know how I would carry on with such a huge task of fulfilling the prophecy if I let myself feel everything.

I finally calm down a bit and just stare blankly at the sky, wallowing in my emotions. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and exhale. _Time to put you away,_ I think. I breathe in—_put the sadness away_—and out. In—_no more fear_—and out. In—_no guilt_—and out. In—_no more loneliness_—and out. I pause, not sure if I can succeed in putting away my final emotion. I bite my lip, thinking. I need to. I gently close my eyes. In—I focus on the feeling…the utter betrayal…I am better without it—and—I picture Loki's face one last time, ignoring the stabbing sensation in my heart…I rebuild the wall…the wall that was so easily broken through last time…never again…I picture each individual brick being mortared into place…one, two, three, four…I lose count as I watch each brick fall into place…finally the last one settles into the top of the wall, sealing it closed…it is done—out. _There._

I sit on the lookout tower for what seems like ages, not thinking or feeling, just sitting. I watch the sun descend below the horizon, the helicarrier shrouded in darkness. I know I am acting immature by hiding from everyone, but I do not care. Everyone saw my encounter with Loki. What will they think of me? I stare off into the distance at the stars. After a while, I hear footsteps on the ladder leading up to the tower. A blond head emerges. Thor. He climbs up into the tower and sits down next to me in silence. I say nothing, waiting for him to speak.

"I am so sorry, Fadriel," he says. I actually believe him. I hear hurt in his voice and wonder why it is there.

"What did he do to you?" I ask him, still looking at the stars. Thor takes a deep breath.

"I grew up with Loki. We were brothers. Then one day, I was going to be crowned as king. I always thought Loki would be proud and happy for me. In my youth, I courted war and payed dearly for it. I was exiled to Earth until I learned to be humble and compassionate. While I was there, Loki came to visit me. He told me that my father had died and that he was to take the throne." He winces at the memory. "He told me that Father died because of the stress and pain I had caused him. I was overcome with grief. Later my friends came to Earth to tell me that Loki had lied. My father was alive. Loki had made an elaborate plan to become king himself. We battled, and in the end we found ourselves dangling over an abyss. Loki let himself fall. We thought him dead." Thor stops. I look over at him.

"You do not have to go on," I tell him. "I feel like a fool for believing that he loved me," I confess. Thor puts his arm around me, trying to comfort me.

"Do not feel bad. He did the same to me," he says sadly.

"Thank you for actually caring about me," I tell Thor.

"I know how much damage Loki can cause. I feel it is my responsibility to try to fix his mistakes," he says. We sit for a long while.

"We should probably go back down now," Thor says gently. I do not want to, but I agree.

"I suppose I cannot hide forever," I say, half teasing. Thor laughs.

"Come." He climbs down the stairs, with me following. I am worried for a slight moment about if the others are angry with me, but I find that my worry ends before it even begins. The wall is back, brand new and stronger than ever. _It is better this way._ I think about the last time I had to rebuild the wall to block out my emotions, right when I found out Loki betrayed me. As I said then, I am better without them.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys! I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a while! Studying for my final exams have been stealing all my free time. But here is the next chapter to Blackheart! Thank you to everyone who is following or has favorited! It makes me really happy that people are actually reading my writing :D I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please leave a review!**

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Ch. 8

—Fadrielindë—

We enter the stark white lab, strange and complex machines lined up all along the room. My eyes are drawn to the front table of the room where Loki's scepter sits upon a stand. The swirling stone in the center of the scepter is shining brightly despite being seperated from its bearer. I look around the room; Bruce is standing in front of the scepter, leaning against the table with his arms folded and his glasses perched on his nose. Tony is standing by a glowing screen, his hands wave about it and the images on the screen move around. Natasha is leaning against the wall watching Tony work, and Steve is nowhere to be found. They all glance up at me when they hear me enter.

"Everyone, I am truly sorry about what happened. I do not know what went wrong," I apologize before anyone can say anything. Natasha approaches me.

"It's okay, Fadriel," she says, placing her hand on my arm. "We actually found out what Loki is planning." My forehead wrinkles.

"You did?" I ask. Bruce speaks up.

"The monster Loki mentioned? He was talking about me," he says.

"You?"

"Banner transforms into a giant green monster when he gets angry," Tony says. I look at Bruce incredulously. He nods.

"It's true," he confesses. Suddenly, Fury storms into the lab. Seeing Tony messing with the computer, he scowls.

"What are you doing, Stark?" he asks, angrily. I look closer and see that Tony is reading something that is marked 'Confidential'.

"Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you," he replies. Fury strides up to Tony.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract," he says loudly. Bruce straightens up against the table and walks over to another screen.

"We are. The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit, we'll have the location within half a mile," Bruce explains, pointing at a map on the screen.

"And you'll get you cube back, no muss, no fuss," Tony tunes in. "What is Phase 2?" he asks, referring to the screen he is reading. Steve suddenly enters, carrying a large weapon.

"Phase 2 is SHIELD used the cube to make weapons," he says, dropping the weapon onto the same table on which Loki's scepter sits. "Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me."

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean we're—" Fury is interrupted by Tony.

"I'm sorry, Nick," he gestures to the screen which is showing blueprints of the same weapon Steve brought in. "What were you lying?"

"I was wrong, Director. The world hasn't changed a bit," Steve accuses Fury. I have no clue what is going on and look to Thor for an explanation, but he is busy watching everything unfold. Bruce points accusingly at Natasha.

"Did you know about this?" he asks her.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?" she responds.

"I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed," he says back.

"Loki's manipulating you," Natasha states.

"And you've been doing what exactly?" Bruce banters.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you," she says.

"Yes, and I'm not leaving because you suddenly get a little twitchy." He directs his attention to Fury. "I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction." Fury points at Thor.

"Because of him." Thor looks extremely confused.

"Me?" he asks, furrowing his eyebrows. Fury elaborates.

"Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned."

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet," Thor defends himself. Fury holds out his hands.

"But you're not the only people out there, are you?" he asks, gesturing to me as an example. "And, you're not the only threat. The world's filling up with people who can't be matched; they can't be controlled."

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve asks.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war," Thor argues.

"A higher form?" Steve is looking frustrated. I feel like I am the only one who is completely clueless to what is going on.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with something," Fury says, trying to defend himself.

"A nuclear deterrent, 'cause that always calms everything right down," Tony drawls sarcastically.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury accuses.

"I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep—" Steve is interrupted by Tony.

"Wait, wait! Hold on! How is this now about me?"

"I'm sorry, isn't everything?"

"I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor muses.

"Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?" Fury argues with Thor. Suddenly, the whole room erupts into chaos. Everyone is talking over each other and arguing. I tune them out. This is so pointless. We will never stop Loki if everyone is acting like immature little children! Shaking my head, I listen back in to the arguments.

"Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his…" Fury stops, realizing that Loki is in the cell.

"Where? You're renting my room," Bruce counters.

"The cell was just—" Bruce interrupts him.

"In case you needed to kill me, but you can't! I know, I tried." Everyone is silent. Bruce shrugs. "I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out. So I moved on, I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Bruce begins to tremble. Fury unhooks his weapon.

"Dr. Banner, put down the scepter," Steve says. Bruce looks down at his hand, puzzled at how the scepter got there. Suddenly, the computer beeps. It must have found the Tesseract! I stride over to Bruce, who is staring at the screen, dumbfounded.

"Where is it?" I ask. At the same time, an explosion erupts throughout the ship. Everyone is thrown back with the force of the explosion.

My instincts kick in, and I use the summoning spell to draw the Mace to my hand. Flames shoot from my other hand, licking my wrist. I take a moment to observe my surroundings. The sleek metal floor where Bruce and Natasha were standing is marred by a giant hole. I am laying on my stomach with Thor not too far from me. His hammer flies to his hand, as he jumps up. Steve and Stark run out of the room shouting orders. My eyes find Thor's.

"We need to—" he starts to say, as an inhuman growl rips through the air. My eyes widen as I spring up off the floor, the flames in my hand growing more intense.

"Bruce!" I yell. Thor and I sprint to the hole and find Natasha, her leg trapped under the rubble, and a huge green monster where Bruce landed. Natasha's eyes widen in fear as she tries to pull her leg out from under the rubble. The Hulk growls once more, and chills run up and down my spine. Natasha pulls her leg free and sprints away as the Hulk tears after her. Thor jumps into the hole and runs after them.

"What do you need me to do?" I shout after him. He turns quickly and gazes at me intensely.

"Go check on Loki!" he yells. He sprints after Natasha and the Hulk out of sight. I turn and run out of the destroyed lab. Darting around falling debris, I reach the steel door leading to Loki's cell. More explosions shake the ship, and the door nearly falls off. With the Mace and flames at the ready, I kick the door off its hinges and dart into the room. I am surprised to see Loki's cell door sliding open, Loki casually walking out of his cell.

"No!" I shout, springing at Loki. I brace myself to push him back into the cell, but am even more surprised to hit nothing but air. Loki dissolves, and I find myself now trapped in the cell, the door sliding closed. I spin around and find Loki standing at the control panel. His dark green eyes are filled with shock.

"Fadrielindë? I did not think you would be the one coming," he says slowly. I hit the glass with my fist, the flames disappearing from my hand.

"Loki! Open the door!" I shout, angrily. Slowly, he shakes his head.

"I cannot, Fadrielindë," he replies, regret in his voice. "It is clear that you are no longer on my side. This is how it has to be." His voice is empty as his hand nears the switch that will cause the cell to drop thirty thousand feet. _No. He wouldn't…would he? _My hand pressed against the glass, I try to reason with him.

"Loki, please. Don't do this. This isn't you," I plead. Suddenly, a new voice cuts through the air.

"Move away, please." I turn my head to the right and see Agent Coulson approaching Loki with a menacing weapon in his hands. Loki slowly moves away from the switch raising his hands in surrender. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does." Coulson shifts the weapon in his hands, aiming it at Loki. He presses a button and the weapon whirs, the end turning red-hot. "Do you wanna find out?" All of a sudden, Loki appears behind him and stabs him in the chest with his scepter. The Loki by the switch dissolves—another illusion.

"NO!" The scream rips from my throat as Coulson slumps against the wall, blood gushing from his chest. My Voice causes the glass cell to reverberate with my outcry. I drop the Mace and pound on the glass with both of my hands. Pure anger and hatred course through my veins, threatening to explode. "What in Oblivion is wrong with you?" Loki says nothing as he strides back over to the switch. "This is not you, Loki. I don't know what happened, but this is not really you," I say, trying to keep my voice even—trying to smother the anger and hate inside of me.

"How would you know what I am really like, Fadrielindë?" Loki asks harshly. "You have only known me for a few days." Shaking my head, I reply.

"I…I guess I don't…" I trail off. Loki nods, his hand nearing the switch once more. "But I do know this," I continue. He turns to look towards me, avoiding direct eye contact. I am afraid of what he will do when I tell him…but it is my only chance to talk some sense into him. Taking a deep breath, I place my hands on the glass, mimicking his when I came to visit him. Gods, it feels so long ago. I look down, focusing on the swirling pattern on my Nightingale boots. "I looked into your mind." Loki jerks, like he was slapped. He takes a moment to recompose himself.

"When?" he asks with no emotion in his voice.

"When we were on the way to Germany. I wanted to see what you were hiding from me," I pause. "I saw everything." I bring my gaze up to meet his. He is standing by the switch, unmoving. When he says nothing, I continue. "I know that what you're doing—what you're doing here on Earth—you don't want to do it. But you feel like you have to."

"I _feel_ like I have to?" Loki spits. "I _feel_ like I have to launch this war because I do not wish to be tortured for the rest of my existence by the most feared being in the universe! Fadrielindë, you have no idea. I have no choice." He turns away, his back to me.

"No. That is where you are wrong, Loki," I say, my hands still pressed against the glass. "You always have a choice." Loki says nothing. He turns to the control panel. He brings his gaze up to meet mine, and I gasp at what I see. His eyes are blood-red, no longer the dark green that I had so foolishly fallen in love with. His expression is dead, unfeeling. My stomach sinks as his hand nears the switch, but this time with more purpose—no hesitation. He looks back up at me with those dead crimson eyes.

"You're wrong." Before I can reply, Loki flips the switch and the cell plunges down out of the plane. As I fall, I swear I see Loki's eyes shine with tears.

.

Thor bursts into the room just as Loki hits the switch. The cell plummets out of the ship, with Fadriel inside.

"No!" he shouts. Sprinting to the hole, he wastes no time and jumps after her. The cell flips and tumbles in the air as it nears the ground, flinging Fadriel around like a rag doll. Thor tries to make himself fall faster to catch up with the cell. He can use Mjonir to break her out if he gets close enough. But time is running out. The cell plummets faster and faster towards the ground. Fadriel tries to break the cell's glass. Her Mace smashes against the cell wall, but not hard enough to break it.

"Come on!" Thor tries to propel himself downward as the cell nears a cluster of menacingly sharp rocks. His fingertips are inches from the cell… As if in slow motion, the cell crashes onto the rocks and skids across the sand before coming to a stop. But somehow, the walls are still intact! Thor lands next to the battered cell and peers inside. Fadriel's limp body is covered in gashes and bruises. Horrified to see her lying on the floor of the cell, Thor panics. He raises his arm and strikes the cell with Mjonir as hard as he can.

"Please, Fadriel! Please don't be dead!" he shouts, hitting the cell over and over. Finally the glass shatters, forming a small hole in the wall. Thor wiggles inside and runs to Fadriel. Her pulse slows as her breathing becomes more and more ragged. Her body is twisted in an unnatural position, bones protruding from her chest—her ribs. "Fadriel, it is going to be alright." Thor places her head in his lap. Speaking into his earpiece, he informs the others. "Loki trapped Fadriel in the cell and activated it. She is still alive but I do not know how much longer she will survive," he reports urgently. "Send medical help immediately!" Turning his gaze back to Fadriel he tries to reassure her. "It is going to be alright." In his earpiece, he can hear Fury shouting orders. Explosions erupt through the ship in the background. Fadriel's eyes flutter as she groans.

"Fadriel!" Thor says in surprise. Her eyes open with difficulty as she tries to focus. "Fadriel, it is alright. Help is coming." She does not acknowledge him, slipping in and out of consciousness.

After what feels like an hour, a helicopter finally lands at the crash site. Fury sprints out of the helicopter to Thor, who is gently holding Fadriel in his lap. Fury takes in the image of her battered and broken body and is astounded that she is still alive. The medics rush to Fadriel with a stretcher and medical equipment.

"Be careful!" Thor tells them as they carefully lift her onto the stretcher. Fury joins Thor at the wreckage.

Pointing to the hole in the cell, Fury asks, "Did you break her out?" Thor nods, looking on worriedly as Fadriel is transported onto the helicopter.

"What happened up there?" Thor asks, referring to the attack on the ship.

"Loki happened," Fury replies bitterly. Thor simply nods slightly and wanders to the helicopter. Fury follows. "We are regrouping at the ship." _It never ends, does it?_


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, guys, I am soooo sorry that it has taken me FOREVER to post! I've been crazy busy since moving back home, but I promise I'll be better about updating Blackheart from now on! Here's the long awaited chapter 9! Since you had to wait so long, this chapter is extra long. Yay! Please review, favorite, or follow! I'd love to hear your thoughts about this story so far. Thank you for your patience!**

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Ch. 9

—Loki—

"Fadrielindë." The whisper leaves my lips before I can stop it. The pure hatred in her eyes. The genuine fear on her face as I pulled the switch. _How could I?_ I feel as though I am in a trance. One of my men escorts me to a plane waiting on the falling helicarrier. But all I can see is Fadrielindë plummeting down to the Earth over and over. I bury my face in my hands, squeezing my eyes shut. I knew this was going to happen—it had to. I could not afford the distraction. But…how could I have done that to her? Trusting, loving, strong Fadrielindë. It is almost as if someone took over my body and flipped the switch for me—made the decision for me. But deep within my soul, I know it was all me. And, damn, it is hard to accept. How high up were we? Could she have survived that? I flinch as though an invisible knife has stabbed me right in my heart. If she is dead…I cannot even think about the possibility. Not only would I lose the only person who could ever care for me—_I am sure she does not now_—but all the lives she was supposed to save while fulfilling the prophecy would be lost as well. I shake my head, filled with despair. _How could I?_ is all I can think, repeating over and over in my head. I take a deep breath and try to regain my composure. None of this is over yet. It is just the beginning. I must put aside my feelings until the deed is done. Only then can I confront my demons and put them to rest. Until then, I must remain focused on what is commanded of me. Fadrielindë will never forgive me—I know this. But perhaps, once this is all over, she will understand and give me another chance. I squeeze my eyes shut once more, forcing all my worries to the back of my mind and bringing forth my appointed duties. Once the war is won and I stand victorious over Earth, only then will I be free.

—Fadrielindë—

_I am in Skyrim, in Windhelm, but something is…off. A suffocating darkness surrounds me and—by Talos—the sky! The sky has turned blood red. Ebony black clouds—as black as death—swirl menacingly in the sky. A heavy thick fog settles upon the land. I cannot see in front of me. Soft voices mutter all around me, hissing threats at me with their shrill whispers. Glowing crimson eyes form before me, thousands of eyes, surrounding me. Whirling around, I try to summon the Mace and flames, but I cannot move. Smoke fills the air. Coughing, I try to reach out to fight the eyes. I feel a cold hand grip my wrist, pulling me into the fog, into the eyes. I try to break free, but more hands pull me into the mist. I scream as everything disappears._

Semiconscious, I open my eyes groggily to find myself in a hospital bed. My entire body is in pain. It hurts to even breathe. My eyes slip in and out of focus. Suddenly, I see someone standing at the corner of the room. _Who is that? _I struggle to focus on the figure, but my eyes won't respond. The figure comes closer to my bedside, and I try to move away. I jerk my arm and a sharp pain rips through my whole body. I gasp in pain.

"Fadrielindë," the figure says in despair, reaching for my hand. He takes my hand in both of his. "I am so sorry." The last thing I see before I slip back into unconsciousness is Loki's face.

.

I wake up once more, but this time I am fully awake. I am surprised to see Tony sitting in a chair next to my bed, asleep.

"Tony?" I croak. He jumps back to consciousness and nearly leaps out of his chair.

"Hey! You're finally awake!" He grins. I reach up and rub my eyes, trying to ignore the throb in my arm.

"How long was I out?" I ask, my voice a bit raspy.

"Three days," he replies matter-of-factly, handing me a glass of water. "How do you feel?" He looks me up and down. "No offense, but you look like hell."

"Wow, thanks," I reply, using sarcasm for the first time. It feels weird to use Earth slang. I take the glass and sigh in relief as the cold water rushes down my dry throat. "What is my diagnosis?" Tony strides over to a whiteboard and starts reading off a long list.

"Fractured wrist, fractured arm, concussion, sprained ankle, and seven broken ribs," he says, ticking them off on his fingers. "Not to mention, about four hundred gashes and bruises." I widen my eyes. "I was just kidding about the cuts and bruises…but you do have a lot." Sighing, I sit up and wince.

"Ow." Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to remove myself from feeling the pain. I hear Tony walk back over to me.

"Hey, uh, you probably shouldn't try to get up," he says, concerned.

"Oh, in my pocket." I had almost forgotten.

"What's in your pocket?" Tony asks. I open my eyes.

"I have a big purple stone in the pocket by my ankle. Can you give it to me?" I ask.

"Okay…" He reaches into the pocket and triumphantly holds up a soul gem. "Is this it?"

"Yes!" I reach out for it. Tony starts to hand it to me, then stops.

"What is it?" he asks, examining the stone.

"It's a soul gem," I say impatiently. "Give it to me!"

"Hmm." Tony hands me the gem. Taking in my hands, I crack it open and sigh in relief as I absorb the draugr overlord soul. It is not a dragon soul, but it should be sufficient to stifle the pain a bit. "What the hell?! What did you just do?" Tony shouts in alarm. I smile, already feeling the pain somewhat fade. The sharp shooting pain turns into a dull throb.

"I absorbed the soul that was being held in the soul gem," I reply. Tony's face is blank.

"How can you absorb a soul?" he asks.

"It is a very long story. I will wait and tell everyone at once." I gaze around the empty room. "By the way, where is everyone?"

"They're all in the main hanger." Tony examines me. "We are coming up with a new plan." I swing my legs over the bedside and stand up. I almost fall, but Tony puts his arm out to stop me. "What are you doing?!"

"I am going to help them come up with a plan," I say, limping towards the door. Tony looks like he is going to stop me, but then reconsiders, knowing how stubborn I am even though we have not even known each other very long.

"Okay," he opens the door and walks into the hallway. "Are you sure you can do this?" he asks. I nod, concentrating on walking to the door.

"Yes, I will be fine," I reply. He rolls his eyes.

"You look like you're dead," he says bluntly.

"Well, I'm not."

.

It takes us, well me, ten minutes to get to the main hangar. When I enter, I see Thor, Natasha, Fury, Steve, and Barton sitting around a table. Barton?!

"Agent Barton?!" I say in surprise. Everyone looks over to me and gasps. Natasha springs out of her chair.

"Fadriel! Why are you up?" she asks in concern. I shrug, still trying to figure out why Agent Barton is here.

"I'm fine," I say, waving my hand at her. Limping over to Barton, I ask, "What are you doing here?" He has dark circles under his eyes…which aren't blue anymore…

"It's okay, Fadriel," Natasha reassures me. "Barton is on our side." I look at her incredulously.

"But he was working with Loki…" I say, confused. Barton shakes his head.

"Loki used his scepter to turn me into a mindless henchman," he says angrily.

"What?" I gasp, looking at the others for verification. Steve nods slowly.

"Why are you out of bed?" he asks, changing the subject. I wave my hand again.

"I'm fine," I say, limping over to an empty chair. With much difficulty, I manage to sit down. Tony sits down next to me.

"You really should be in bed," he says quietly. I shake my head discreetly.

"So, what is the plan?" I ask everyone. No one says anything. They all have odd expressions. "Wait…" I look at Fury. "What happened?" Fury swallows.

"Agent Coulson is dead," he says, his voice empty. _Ah, yes._ I had almost forgotten. All the events leading up to now had been buried by my subconscious and were now resurfacing. No one speaks. A heavy silence hangs over us. My mouth opens, but I don't know what to say. I remember Loki stabbing Coulson with the scepter as I watched helplessly in the cell. My eyes narrow. After a long silence, I finally speak.

"So, what are we going to do?" I ask. No response. Everyone blankly stares straight ahead, unmoving. Growing tired of being ignored, I repeat my question. "What are we going to do?" I ask louder. Steve sighs.

"We don't know, Fadriel. There's nothing we can do. Loki is unstoppable," he says.

"No, we can stop him if we have a good plan," I reply sharply. When no one says anything, I burst out. "We can't just give up! There is no hope for us to beat Loki if we don't even try! And I don't know about you, but I would love to see him fail. He has hurt every single one of us, and we can't let him succeed." When no one speaks I sigh, frustrated. "The fate of the entire world of Tamriel lies on my shoulders. Do you know how impossible that seems? I'm supposed to save the world, it's all up to me, no one else. The fate of your world is at stake and you want to give up because Loki killed one of your friends. Do you know how people have been killed because of me? I know it seems like the end of the world, and I know I am being harsh, but believe me, life goes on…but only if you try. We have to defeat Loki. You can't let your world fall to dust. So, I'll ask again. What are we going to do?" I suddenly realize that I am standing up. Everyone is gazing at me in awe or in offense, I cannot tell which. Steve suddenly speaks up.

"You're right, Fadriel." He turns to the rest of the group. "We can't let Loki destroy our world." He gazes at each one of us. "I have an idea, but we all need to work together to make it work."

.

One day later, we are still trying to work on a foolproof plan to defeat Loki. Crowded around the map, everyone pitches in possible ideas. At one point, Tony bursts out with a random question.

"So, what are you, Fadriel?" he asks bluntly. I turn from the map laying on the table to face him.

"You already asked me, remember? I am half elven," I reply, distracted. I see him shake his head out of the corner of my eye as I join the others back at the map.

"No, I mean, how did you absorb a soul? And how did you push us all back with just your voice?" he asks, referring to the incident in the forest. _That feels like forever ago._ The others look up from the map and gaze at me inquiringly.

"We've been wondering the same thing," Natasha says, as everyone nods in agreement. I hesitate. _Should I tell them everything?_ Thor smiles at me reassuringly.

"If you tell us how your powers work, we can use them against Loki," Steve adds. I sigh softly. After a long pause, I decide to tell them.

"Fine," I say. Tony's face brightens. "But it will be easier to show you," I add before anyone interrupts. Steve looks at me, furrowing his brow.

"Show us?" he asks, confused. "How?" I smile slightly.

"You will see," I reply. Stepping over to an empty area behind the table, I gesture for them to come over. "Everyone sit in a circle," I instruct, sitting down on the ground, with a bit of difficulty I might add. The soul has numbed the pain somewhat, but I definitely still feel some of it—actually a lot of it. Once everyone is seated, I find myself between Thor and Tony.

"Should we start chanting now?" Tony teases. I elbow him.

"Everyone join hands," I order them. Thor's hand grabs mine and Tony follows suit a bit reluctantly. I wait for everyone's hands to be intertwined before I go on. "Alright. This is going to seem a bit strange."

"It already does," Tony mutters. I elbow him again, a little harder. "Ow!"

"What are you going to do?" Steve asks loudly.

"I am going to project my memories into your minds. It is easier than telling you everything," I explain. Barton cringes a bit at the thought of me entering his mind. "It's okay," I reassure him. "You can stop at any moment. All you do is open your eyes and focus on something else." I gaze around at everyone. They all look a bit nervous. Except for Tony.

"So you're a psychic?" he asks. I ignore him.

"Everyone close your eyes." Once everyone's eyes are closed, I focus on the memory of Helgen. _Just like I showed Loki_. My concentration is broken for a second. I clear my mind of everything but the memory and start to project it into Thor and Tony's minds. I use their connections to project the memory into Natasha and Barton's minds, and use those connections to project it into Steve and Fury's minds. I feel my energy draining already, but I focus harder. The memory is clearly projected into everyone's minds now, and I find myself once more in Helgen, about to be executed. I look around me and see everyone in my memory.

"Wow," Tony gasps in awe. I play the memory until Alduin is gone. I show them how I found out I was the Dovahkiin and part of my training at High Hrothgar. My concentration slips a little as more energy leaves me, and I accidentally show them a memory of the Dark Brotherhood. It is the memory of how I found out I was the Listener.

I am hiding in the Night Mother's coffin. Everything is black, but I can hear Cicero looking for me. All of a sudden, a raspy voice starts whispering in my mind. _I cannot let them see that I am an assassin for the Dark Brotherhood._ I think, trying to stop the memory.

"The time has come. Tell him the words he has been waiting for all these years. Darkness rises when silence dies," the Night Mother hisses. The memory spirals away, but is replaced by another. We are in the Emperor's chambers. _Oh no, this is when I assassinated the Emperor!_

_._

"And, once more, I prove Commander Maro the fool." The Emperor stands in front of my past self. She dressed in the Dark Brotherhood armor, clutching the Mace. The Emperor continues. "I told him you can't stop the Dark Brotherhood. Never could." He strides closer to me. My past self just stands there. "Come now, don't be shy. You haven't come this far just to stand there gawking." The Emperor waits for me to speak. My past self is surprised at the Emperor's calmness.

"You were…expecting me?" she asks, lowering the Mace slightly.

"But of course. You and I have a date with destiny. But so it is with assassins and emperors, hmm? Yes, I must die. And you must deliver the blow. It is simply the way it is. But I wonder…would you suffer an old man a few more words before the deed is done?" The Emperor pauses, waiting for her response.

"I am listening," my past self replies. I try to stop the memory from projecting, but I am not strong enough to stop it. The Emperor smiles softly and continues to speak.

"I thank you for your courtesy. You will kill me, and I have accepted that fate. But regardless of your path through life, I sense in you a certain…ambition," the Emperor says, eyeing me curiously. "So I ask of you a favor. An old man's dying wish." He pauses. She nods slightly, agreeing to his favor. "While there are many who would see me dead, there is one who set the machine in motion. This person whomever he or she may be must be punished for they treachery. Once you have been rewarded for my assassination, I want you to kill the very person who ordered it. Would you do me this kindness?" The Emperor stops again, waiting for the past me to respond.

"I will…consider your request," she says. She grips the Mace in her hand.

"Thank you. Now, on to the business at hand I suppose, hmm?" The Emperor calmly stands in front of her and waits. "Well? I won't fight you, so we may as well get this over with." I strain to stop the memory, but I cannot. I am not strong enough. It was foolish of me to show them all at once. I cringe as I watch my past self raise the Mace and strike the Emperor. He falls to the ground, dead. I hear someone gasp, and I turn to see who, but my vision blurs.

.

We are standing in the basement of the abandoned house in Markarth. Molag Bal, the Lord of Domination has caught my past self in a spike cage. The deep booming voice of Molag Bal rings throughout the basement.

"Fool! Did you think Molag Bal, the Lord of Domination, would so easily reward you?" he taunts. My past self grabs the spiked bars of the cage, trying to find a way out. "What do you see from that little cage? Speak!" My past self clears her throat and replies defiantly.

"A mace. It's rusted," her voice rings out, referring to the ancient mace lying on the alter before her.

"Rusted. Dry. There was a time when this mace dripped with the blood of the feeble and the worthless. But a Daedric Lord has his enemies, and my rival Boethiah had her priest desecrate it. Left it here to decay. Until you came," Molag Bal trails off. My past self swallows, but remains brave.

"I never wanted to help you. Let me go!" she demands. Suddenly, the spikes retract, freeing her.

"Fine. I offered you a reward. You'll get the freedom your kind enjoys so much," Molag Bal's voice drips with venom. "But Boethiah's priest is imprisoned as well. But not by me," he adds. "He is hurt. Suffering. Save him. Let him perform his rites one more time. And when he does, I will be waiting for him." The memory swirls and flashes before us. My past self finds the priest and tries to convince him back to come back to Markarth.

"Rescue? No one knew where I was, when I was taken. Who sent you?" Logrolf asks suspiciously. My past self is frustrated; she is trying to save him!

"Molag Bal," she replies. Logrolg's eyes widen at the name.

"So. The King of Corruption sends his messenger to challenge me. Very well," he says.

"I am not his—" my past self tries to say. Logrolf interrupts her.

"I will meet with Molag Bal, and I will venerate his altar in Boethiah's name, as I did before. Cut me loose, minion of the Hated One. I need to get to Markarth." My past self cuts him free, but tries to tell him Molag Bal's plan. Logrolf does not listen; he just continues traveling to Markarth. The memory flashes forward. We are in the basement of the Markarth house again, but this time Logrolf has been caught in the spiked cage. Logrolf is cowering in the cage, but still speaks arrogantly.

"Molag Bal. you think you can best Boethiah's faithful? I have won this contest before!" he shouts, his voice trembling. Molag Bal laughs menacingly.

"Ah. but I have my own champion this time, Logrolf," Molag Bal sneers. My past self gasps, realizing he is talking about her.

"No, I am not—" She is interrupted.

"What? You!" Logrolf glares at me through the bars of the cage.

"Mortal. I give you my mace, in all its rusted spitefulness. Crush the spirit from Logrolf's bones. Make him bend to me," Molag Bal orders. My past self watches in awe as the Mace leaves the alter and places itself in her hand. She turns around and finds the doorway barred. There is no escape. With no other choice, she raises the Mace and strikes Logrolf, hard. She looks up at the alter.

"Is that all you can do? Again!" Molag Bal laughs. My past self, tears filling her eyes, whispers to Logrolf as she strikes him over and over.

"I am sorry," she whispers. Logrolf falls to the ground, dead. Molag Bal revives him, ready for another beating.

"You mortals and your weak, frail, pathetic bodies," Molag Bal laughs. "Try it again, mortal!" Molag Bal shouts. With renewed determination in her eyes, my past self beats Logrolf again. Finally, he bends before Molag Bal.

"No more, no more!" he cries.

"You bend to me?" Molag Bal demands.

"Yes!"

"You pledge your soul to me?"

"Yes!"

"You forsake the weak and pitiful Boethiah?"

"Yes!" Logrolf is hysterical. Molag Bal's menacing laugh fills the basement.

"You're mine now, Logrolf," he hisses. My past self stands behind the cage trembling with anger and disgust. "Kill him!" Molag Bal orders her. With no other option, she raises the Mace over her head and kills Logrolf in one blow. Silence falls over the basement.

"The Mace of Molag Bal! I give you its true power, mortal." The Mace rises from her hand and glows green. "When your enemies lie broken and bloody before you, know that I will be watching. Now, I have a soul in Oblivion that needs claiming. Take care of the house while I'm gone," Molag Bal drawls. With an evil laugh, his voice leaves the air, leaving my past self clutching the Mace in disbelief. The memory fades and another surfaces.

.

Now we are at Sovngarde. My past self is standing in front of Alduin. Bits of the memory flash before us. Alduin's booming voice. My rapid descent. Everything swirls around us and I find that we are standing in an underground bunker. I spot my past self sitting on a hospital bed…next to Loki. My past self is laughing at something Loki said.

"What about you?" she asks. "Have you ever been in a relationship?" _Oh no. No, not this._ I watch as the past Loki chuckles.

"Nothing serious, just a few childhood romances. If you can even call them that." He gazes into my past self's eyes. I try to stop the memory from playing, but it is out of my control. I am too weak. I concentrate so hard, my head spins with the effort. I can feel myself begin to lose consciousness. _No._ I focus harder. I cannot see anything; everything is spinning. I see the outlines of Thor and Natasha watching my memory unfold. Feeling my nose starting to bleed with the effort, I keep on trying to stop the memory. Finally, everything cuts to black just as Loki leans into my past self.

Panting, I open my eyes to find myself on the ground. My vision is blurry; I cannot make my eyes focus.

"Fadrielindë!" Thor's voice interrupts my concentration. I feel his hands on my shoulders. He rolls me over to my back. I blink, trying to focus. Groaning, I fling my arm over my eyes.

"I am so sorry, everyone. I should not have tried to bring you all in at once," I say, hoping they won't mention the other memories.

_I lost control,_ I tell Thor silently. It is strange. Of all the people to trust, I find myself trusting Thor the most. Perhaps it is because he is the only one who understands what I am going through.

_You should have waited until your strength returned to you._ Thor wrinkles his brow, concerned. I look around and see everyone beginning to stand up. I touch my nose and find my finger covered in blood. I open my mouth, ready to defend myself.

"You're an assassin?" Steve starts, his voice condescending. I shake my head quickly.

"That was not what it looked like—" I begin. Steve raises his eyebrows and interrupts me.

"You sure looked like an assassin when you killed the Emperor in cold blood," he argues. I open my mouth to defend myself again, but Tony speaks.

"Darkness rises when silence dies?" Tony says, quoting the Night Mother. "What the hell was that?"

"No, that was—" I am interrupted again by Steve.

"And this Molag Bal? You murdered a priest just because some evil prince told you to?" Steve says in disgust.

"We deserve to know the whole truth, Fadriel," Tony chimes in. Before anyone can interrupt me again, I shout.

"Yes! Okay, fine. You want the whole truth? Here it is. I am the Listener of a guild of assassins. I did assassinate the Emperor. And, yes, I did kill Logrolf for Molag Bal." I look at each one of them. "While I'm at it, I may as well tell you everything. I am also the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild. That's right, a guild of thieves. Also, I still use the Mace of Molag Bal. And assassinating the Emperor is not the only assassination I have done. I have killed hundreds of innocent people, and hundreds of innocent people have died defending me. I may have done some awful things, but you have no right to judge me. What I've done in my past is my business; it has nothing to do with defeating Loki." I pause, waiting for a response. Steve sighs.

"You should have told us," he complains. I hold up my hands.

"If I had, you would be having the same reaction as you are now," I point out. I look Steve in the eye. "Yes, I am the Dovahkiin, and yes, I am supposed to save the world. I admit, I had a few bumps and distractions along the way. I have found my path now. I know I am destined for good, and I try every single day to right every wrong I have committed in my life. We have all made mistakes, but do they not define who we are today?" Steve considers this. "I am not sorry that I kept this from all of you, but you must know that I am different now," I continue. "You must believe me when I say that I will do everything it takes to stop Loki." Thor nods.

"I believe you, Fadriel." He pats me on the shoulder. I smile at him graciously.

"Thank you," I reply. Natasha smiles at me, silently agreeing with Thor. Fury steps up.

"How do we know you won't turn on us?" he demands. I shake my head.

"You do not have to pretend you didn't see it," I say slowly, referring to the memory of Loki and me. There is a long pause. "Loki tried to kill me after convincing me that he loved me. If that isn't a good enough incentive, then, by Talos, I don't know what is." Fury considers this, nodding. After a long silence, Tony speaks up.

"Well, now that we know you are a magical elf ninja assassin, we can tweak the plan a bit," he says casually, striding back over to the table. I watch as the others slowly begin to follow him. I limp back to the table and stand next to him.

"Thank you," I mutter. He just grins, beginning to talk about the plan once more, as if the interruption never happened.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, everyone! Here's Chapter 10, the beginning of the Battle. Since I wrote the whole Battle in one sitting, it was a little hard to split it into chapters, but here's the first part! Please favorite, follow, and review! :D**

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Ch. 10

—Fadrielindë—

"Are you sure you can do this?" Tony asks me for the fifth time today. That seems to be the question everyone has for me. From the moment we left this morning, all anyone can say to me is, _Are you sure you will be okay? Are you sure you can do this?_ like I am a leaf of a Somnalius fern that could crumble at any moment. I nod, annoyed.

"Yes, I will be fine," I reply, trying to keep my face blank and devoid of emotion. Like pain, for example. My chest still throbs where my recovering ribs are trying to mend themselves back together, and my ankle aches a bit when I put too much weight on it. But there is no way in Oblivion that I am going to sit out of the very plan I helped devise, so I push the pain into the back of my mind and focus on the mission. I crane my neck to look out the window of the plane. The glistening silver towers of New York City reach up into the sky, seemingly high enough to graze the bottom of the flying plane. The city never fails to astonish me. The metal buildings are so different from the wooden and stone buildings in Tamriel.

It took two days to come up with a foolproof plan to stop Loki. We spent each day and night brainstorming and coming up with ideas. After much deliberation, we finally decided on, what we think is, an infallible plan.

"Does everyone know what they're supposed to do?" Natasha asks us for the hundredth time.

"Yes!" Thor, Steve, Tony, Barton, and I yell at the same time. She holds up her hands in defense.

"Just making sure!" she says.

Barton's voice rings out from the front of the helicopter.

"We are going to be landing soon," he says seriously. I bite my lip nervously. "It's showtime." Grabbing the Mace in my hand and summoning flames to my other hand, I stand up, ready to fight. Thor looks at me inquiringly. I open my mind to hear him.

_Will you be alright?_ Thor asks in my mind.

_Yes. I will be fine,_ I reply.

_Are you sure? I understand if you do not want to fight against him. It is a lot to ask._ Thor watches me intensely. I smile at him.

_I will be fine, Thor, _I assure him.

"Fadriel!" Tony snaps his fingers in front of my face. I jump and my instincts take over. One second later, I find myself holding Tony in a chokehold, flames inches from his face. "Whoa!"

"Sorry!" I shout, letting go of him. Thor guffaws.

"That is why you never sneak up on her!" he laughs. Tony playfully punches me in the arm. Steve, smiling, brings us back to business.

"Alright, guys," he says. "Last minute review session." He starts going over the plan quickly, even though we've all heard it about a thousand times. As he is talking, I reach into my pocket and draw out a black soul gem. The grand soul swirls around inside the gem. I crack it open and sigh in relief, absorbing the soul. Feeling replenished, but still very sore, I nod along as Steve briefs us. He nods briskly after going over the plan and moves over to talk to Thor. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. _I can do this._ Why am I nervous? I have defeated hundreds of enemies, slain countless dragons, and even killed Dragon Priests. But facing Loki…it's a different kind of evil. All of the other enemies I have faced never had such a personal connection with me. The thing is, Loki still believes I am in love with him…which I suppose is a little true. But I can't be with someone who is doing exactly what I am going to risk my life to stop in my world. I shake my head, wishing he was different. Of course, the one man I fall in love with is a power hungry "god" obsessed with taking over the world.

"Okay, I'm going to fly over Stark Tower," Barton's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Be ready to jump." I nudge Tony, my finger clinking against his metal suit.

"Good luck," I tell him seriously. Tony smirks as the Iron Man helmet comes down over his face. The ramp lowers and Tony strides towards it, looking back at me.

"Thanks, Fadriel, but I don't need luck."

"Now!" Barton cries out. Tony leaps out of the plane and soars to Stark Tower, energy beams from the suit trailing behind him. Rolling my eyes, I turn to the others and find Thor's eyes upon me. He smiles reassuringly, gripping Mjolnir.

"Okay, I'm going to drop the rest of you out onto the street." Barton navigates the plane around Stark Tower. "Rogers, you'll be stationed toward the bottom of Stark Tower." Steve nods. Barton orders the rest of us. "Thor, stay close to one of the buildings around the Tower, just in case you need to—" Barton is interrupted by a crash accompanied by a blast of light beaming up into the sky. We all watch as the sky opens and hundreds of strange creatures flood out. They land on the ground and begin to destroy everything in their paths. Citizens scream and run from the creatures, which are blasting the streets to bits with their foreign energy weapons.

"There they are," Thor says calmly. "The Chitauri." One of the Chitauri raises his gun and aims it at the plane.

"Clint, move!" Natasha yells from the co-pilot's chair. I am thrown to the side as Barton jerks the plane away from the Chitauri's blast.

"Everyone, out now! We need to protect the citizens!" Steve orders us. We are tossed around the plane like rag dolls as Barton tries to avoid the blasts.

"You're gonna have to jump! I can't get close enough to the ground!" Barton yells, jerking the wheel around. Thor turns to me.

"Hold onto my arm!" he orders. I grab his arm without hesitation as he swings Mjolnir around in a circle. My fingers dig into his skin as we leap out of the plane and into the air. Thor raises Mjolnir up to the sky and suddenly we are flying. The wind whips my hair around my face, and I am reminded of my descent to Earth. We land softly in the middle of a street already destroyed by the Chitauri. Steve rolls onto the ground next to us. Wasting no time, Steve runs to a tipped over bus and starts ushering people out. Suddenly, the plane falls to the ground, screeching along the road as it comes to a rough stop. Barton and Natasha quickly flee the plane and join the fray. I hear a clattering behind me and turn just in time to dodge a Chitauri's swinging arm. I deftly blast flames into its face and strike it in the head with the Mace. It collapses to the ground. I quickly glance around and find twenty more Chitauri heading straight for me and Thor. I turn my head and make eye contact with him, smiling.

"Ready?" I ask, excited to start combat.

"Of course," he replies, raising Mjolnir.

We immediately jump into action, Thor, swinging Mjolnir, and me, blasting flames at the coming Chitauri. I flit around, making sure to stay low to avoid being struck by Mjolnir.

"Thor! On your right!" I warn him, leaping over to cover his side. A Chitauri aims a weapon at Thor and reaches to pull the trigger. Without hesitation, I Shout at it. "FUS!" It is pushed back with the force of the Thu'um and struck by lightning sent by Thor at the same time. Thor and I make eye contact, and I smirk.

_Are you thinking what I'm thinking?_ I project into his mind. His mouth stretches into a wide smile, and I don't need to hear his thoughts to know that we _are_ thinking the same thing. I walk up to his side, sheathing the Mace. Thor grips Mjolnir next to me, ready to attack. I draw in a low, deep breath and focus on the energy pulsating in my veins.

"FUS RO DAH!" The approaching Chitauri are thrown back just as Thor raises Mjolnir and sends a bolt of lightning down upon them. The electricity crackles as it connects with their bodies. Everything seems to go silent as the Chitauri collapse, dead.

"Ha!" Thor shouts victoriously. He holds up his hand, facing me. I look at it blankly, not knowing what to do. "Oh, I forgot." Thor takes my hand and touches my palm to his. "It's called a high-five." I say nothing. "It's an Earth gesture I learned." I smile, taking in the sight of the hundred or so dead Chitauri around us. Steve suddenly appears a few feet in front of us.

"Hey, guys, that was pretty cool, but we're not done yet," he says, panting. He gazes up at the portal in the sky. "There'll be more coming soon." Thor looks pointedly at Stark Tower.

"How are things going in there?" he asks. Steve shrugs.

"We haven't heard anything yet." Just as the words leave his mouth, a figure is thrown out of the tower. I gasp.

"Tony!" I start to run toward the tower, but Steve holds me back.

"No, he's fine. It's part of the plan, remember?" I watch as Tony gets nearer and nearer to the ground, my heart in my throat. At the last possible moment, one of his metal suits flies out from the top of the tower and attaches itself to him. Tony uses the jets on his hands to stop his descent and flies back up to the top of the tower. I sigh in relief. Barton and Natasha reappear in the distance and sprint to us.

"Here they come!" Thor points to the portal where, sure enough, more Chitauri are steadily streaming through. I grip the Mace and summon more flames to my hand.

"Okay, so now what?" I ask. "Just keep fighting them off?" I watch as more and more Chitauri flood through the portal—the stream seemingly unending. "How in Oblivion are we going to kill all of them?" Steve doesn't answer, his brow furrowed in thought. Just as he opens his mouth to speak, a monstrous roar rings through the air. We all turn our attention back to the portal where a colossal and deadly-looking creature is lazily floating down into the city. It reaches the middle of the city, destroying buildings and taking chunks out of skyscrapers as it maneuvers throughout the metal town.

"Now there's that thing," Steve mutters. "Okay, everyone here's what we're going to do," he begins. I see Tony in the distance flying off toward the massive creature still smashing buildings. Steve opens his mouth to start dishing out orders when he is interrupted by the sound of a small motor coming closer and closer to us. We all whip around, and I am quite surprised to see a small vehicle sputtering towards us. And upon the vehicle rides none other than the Hulk himself—Bruce Banner.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi, everyone! Here's the next part of the battle. Thank you so much for sticking with me; I know I'm not the best at updating very frequently, but I really appreciate the follows and favorites! And if you haven't already, please follow, favorite, and review!**

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Ch. 11

—Fadrielindë—

Bruce dismounts the vehicle and strides over to us, looking around at the destroyed city.

"So, this all seems horrible," he muses.

"I've seen worse," Natasha says seriously. Bruce looks taken aback at her comment.

"Sorry," he apologizes. She shakes her head.

"No, we could use a little worse," she says. Steve talks into his earpiece.

"Stark? We've got him," he says, referring to Bruce. "Just like you said."

"Then tell him to suit up," Tony's voice rings in my ear through the device given to each of us. "I'm bringing the party to you." I hear jets to my right and turn too see Tony flying around the corner, with the monster in tow.

"I don't see how that's a party," Natasha says sarcastically. I smile slightly.

"Dr. Banner," Steve places his hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Bruce smirks and starts casually walking toward the creature.

"That's my secret, Captain," he says, looking over his shoulder at Steve. "I'm always angry."

With a loud roar, Bruce's body swells and enlarges, resembling melting wax. He lets out a roar, transforming into the Hulk before our eyes. The creature draws nearer until the Hulk's fist connects with its head. The monster catapults upside down, in a full 360 spin. Just as the creature's underside is exposed, Tony launches a missile into its soft flesh. There is a slight pause before the missile explodes, sending bits of the creature flying into the air. Steve raises his shield over himself and I, the metal reverberating as the chunks of the creature's hard shell hit the shield.

"Thanks," I tell him. The Chitauri screech at the defeat of their monster. Tony raises his arms triumphantly. We gather in a tight circle, ready for battle. All of a sudden, more roars ring throughout the air. I lift my gaze up to the portal. My eyes widen as thousands of Chitauri warriors and more monsters flood out. "Well, then."

"Guys." Natasha is staring in horror at the aliens swarming around the city.

"Call it, Cap," Tony says, recharging his suit. I look over at Steve, who is deep in thought.

"Alright, listen up. Until we can close that portal up there," he looks pointedly at the top of Stark Tower, "we're gonna use containment. Barton." Barton gives his full attention to Steve. " I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash." Tony nods. Barton turns to Tony.

"Wanna give me a lift?" he asks, taking out his bow.

"Right. Better clench up, Legolas," Tony remarks as he lifts Barton up and onto the rooftop. Steve turns to Thor.

"Thor, you've gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You've got the lightning. Light the bastards up," he orders him. Thor swings Mjolnir around and flies into the sky onto the top of a tower. Steve turns to Natasha and I. "We stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here. Fadriel, use your Shouts to keep them from all coming at us at once." I nod as he turns to the Hulk, who has been patiently awaiting his orders. "And Hulk," Steve raises his finger, "Smash."

The Hulk smiles widely showing all his teeth and leaps into the air, striking multiple Chitauri as he does so. I watch in awe as he easily kills at least a hundred Chitauri in mere seconds. I ready the Mace and summon more flames to my hand. I hear thunder booming in the distance and see Thor atop a building summoning lightning. He directs the lightning to the portal where the Chitauri are electrocuted and fall to the ground. Tony flies around, shooting blasts of energy at the flying Chitauri in chariots.

"Fadriel!" I hear Natasha voice behind me and turn at the last second to avoid being struck by a Chitauri warrior. I see at least fifty more warriors behind it. _Round two_, I think. I raise the Mace and strike it on the head, killing it. I glance behind me at Natasha and Steve, who are beginning to fight off the coming Chitauri slowly surrounding us. I aim my left hand at a group of Chitauri and blast flames as I slash through the air at another group. Ducking and striking, I manage to kill ten at once.

"VEN GAR NOS!" I shout, creating a cyclone with my Voice. The whirling cyclone spins through another group of Chitauri, throwing them thousands of feet into the air. I hear a Chitauri behind me and whirl around, shouting, "ZUN HAAL VIIK!" The Chitauri's weapon is ripped from its grasp and I catch it. I quickly aim it at the warrior and pull the trigger. A blast of white-hot light shoots out and chars the Chitauri's head. "Ah, it's like a crossbow!" I think aloud. Natasha chuckles behind me and then grunts as she beats a warrior over the head, killing it.

"Hey, Nat and Fadriel! A little help over here!" Steve calls. I immediately turn around and join him in fighting a hundred more approaching Chitauri. Swinging his shield and dodging blows, Steve asks me, "Fadriel, know any good Shouts you could use right now? Not that I'm feeling overwhelmed or anything." I laugh at his sarcasm and delve into my Thu'um word bank. Ah.

"Watch out!" I warn Steve and Natasha before Shouting, "YOL TOOR SHUL!" A stream of red-hot blazing fire explodes from my throat and burns the approaching Chitauri to a crisp.

"That works!" Steve laughs, lowering his shield. I look around and see even _more_ Chitauri coming for us. Panting, I glance up at the portal atop Stark Tower and see the silhouettes of two figures standing on the balcony. Thor and Loki! I stealthily project into Thor's mind to listen in without him knowing.

.

"Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule?" Thor yells at Loki. I see Loki's shadow move away from Thor's.

"Fadriel!" Steve shouts. I leap out of Thor's mind just in time to dodge a coming Chitauri. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find out what's happening up there!" I shout, pointing at the Tower. "Keep me covered for two minutes!" I draw back into Thor's mind as Steve moves in front of me.

"It's too late. It's too late to stop it," Loki says, defeated. I frown, confused at his tone.

"No. We can. Together," Thor says hopefully. Loki's shadow shifts to look at Thor's. Then, I see Loki's hand stab a small dagger into Thor's stomach.

"No!" I cry out.

"Sentiment," Loki spits. Thor struggles to his feet and grabs Loki by the throat.

_Fadriel?_ Thor asks me, realizing my presence.

_I wanted to see what was happening,_ I tell him as he slams Loki down onto the ground. I cannot help but wince.

_I'm sorry, Fadriel, but it must be done,_ he tells me. I nod, even though he cannot see me.

_I know._ But Loki rolls away from Thor and off of the Tower, landing on a flying chariot. _Damn it!_ I hear Thor curse in his head.

.

"Fadriel!" Steve yells at me, but this time I don't react fast enough. A Chitauri warrior pounces from behind me and wraps its arm around my neck. I plant my feet on the ground and push off hard, launching myself backward into the air. I flip around behind, the Chitauri clinging to my neck now in front of me. In one motion, I duck down and stab it in the heart with the Mace. Its hold on my neck falls away as it slumps to the ground, dead.

"Whew, that was close," I laugh, my hands on my knees. My energy is beginning to drain. I reach into my pocket for a soul gem, but my pocket's empty. _Ah, I already used it on the plane, _I remember, frustrated. Oh, well. Looks like I get to see how long I can last without absorbing a dragon soul—or any soul for that matter. I look over at Natasha and see that she is getting tired as well.

"Guys, none of this is going to mean a damn thing if we don't close that portal," she pants. Steve turns to her.

"Our biggest guns couldn't touch it," he says. I nod, chiming in.

"Yes, there is some type of magic surrounding it—protecting it," I say, looking up at the swirling blue sphere around the Tesseract. Natasha shrugs.

"Well, maybe it's not about guns," she muses, tilting her chin up at the flying chariots. I grin.

"You don't mean—" She is crazy. Steve must think the same because he raises his eyebrows at her. But then he backs up and tilts his shield up. Natasha strides away from him and readies herself.

"Are you sure about this?" Steve asks her.

"Yeah, it's gonna be fun," she says unconvincingly. Natasha sprints towards the shield and plants one foot on a nearby vehicle and her other on Steve's shield. Steve pushes his shield up, launching Natasha into the air. Natasha grabs onto a chariot flying by and hoists herself up onto it. I watch as the chariot speeds by, losing sight of it as it flies farther and farther away.

.

Suddenly, Steve and I hear Barton speak in our earpieces.

"Captain, the bank on 42nd past Madison—they caught a lot of civilians there," he says. Steve nods.

"I'm on it." He gives me an inquiringly look. "Care to come along? We could really use your Shouts." I grin, fighting back the wave of exhaustion struggling to consume my body.

"Of course," I say. "I never say no to a fight." Steve laughs.

"Alright then. Let's go!" He sprints off in the other direction with me following close behind. As we run, I clearly feel the effects of combat on my body; my legs slowly become heavy as I run, and the Dragon power running through my veins weakens. Sure, I have fought countless of enemies at once before, but these Chitauri are unlike any creature I have ever encountered. I have managed to kill them with ease so far, but for how much longer will I be able to hold them off?

After darting around debris and fighting a few stray Chitauri, we finally reach the bank.

"Follow me!" Steve shouts, hooking his shield on his back. I mimic him, sheathing the Mace as we leap onto a ledge of the building. Steve jumps and crashes through a glass window. I follow, shards of glass piercing my exposed face. I roll onto the floor and land next to Steve. In front of us are three more Chitauri warriors, one holding a strange beeping device. Steve throws his shield at the one holding the device, and it goes flying through the air. The two other Chitauri charge at me. I unhook my Mace and leap to my feet. I strike one with the Mace, but it catches my arm before I can withdraw. I shoot flames at it with my other hand and push off the ground, kicking the other Chitauri straight in the chest. The two warriors are both knocked to the ground. I turn and see Steve fighting the last Chitauri, the device nowhere to be found. But the beeping grows faster.

"Everyone! Fadriel! Clear out!" he shouts, pushing the Chitauri away and grabbing my arm. All of a sudden, the device explodes, throwing us backwards and smashing through another window.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi, everyone! I apologize for the incredibly long wait. I knew I was nearing the end of Blackheart and couldn't bear to finish it. But I finally have! So here is the last and final chapter! It's so sad to be done, but I hope you've enjoyed reading! Please let me know what you think by favoriting, following, or reviewing! Thank you for being such fantastic readers! And be on the lookout for more stories from me! :D**

**-Totoro216**

* * *

Ch. 12

—Fadrielindë—

The breath is knocked out of me as I land on the street, hard. I feel my broken ribs protesting in my chest. The soul gem I used did not heal them, just alleviated the pain for a while. And, by Talos, I can definitely feel the soul gem wearing off now. I close my eyes for a moment, grateful for the momentary rest. Someone shakes my shoulder.

"Fadriel! Are you alright?" It's Steve.

"Yes, I'm okay. Just wondering how we are going to defeat all of them." I open my eyes and see Steve's concerned face above me. He pulls me back to my feet.

"I'm wondering the same thing," he says, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's go and—" He is interrupted by another giant monster making its way toward us. I turn to look at him wordlessly.

"We can take it," I tell him, smirking a bit.

"Fadriel, are you crazy? We need to take shelter and wait for Stark or Banner to get here," Steve orders. He grips me shoulder and steers me toward a collapsed building.

"No, Steve. I'm serious. I really think we can do it," I say, staring at the monster lazily wandering closer to us.

"Fadriel, no. We need to wait," he says again. I don't know what comes over me, pure exhaustion or pure insanity, that makes me duck out from Steve's grip and run toward the creature. "Fadriel!"

—Loki—

Flying high above the city, I glance down and see Fadrielindë crash out of a window, landing on the cracked asphalt. I can tell she's in pain, tiring quickly. Shaking my head, I focus on the task at hand. I am almost done. I am so close to freedom. After the Chitauri destroy nearly everything in this city, the humans will have no choice but to surrender. The precious Avengers may try to fight, but they do not stand a chance against the other-worldly beings. My thoughts are interrupted when I spot Barton, his loyalty returned to its original place, aiming his beloved bow my way. I scoff, knowing that should his arrow even find me, my reflexes are quick. Sure enough, I hear the whoosh of an arrow shooting toward me. I easily snatch it out of the air. It is as if he was not even trying. But, annoyingly, he actually gets the better of me. The arrow explodes, knocking me off the chariot. Luckily, the fall is not too far. I smash through the floor-to-ceiling window of Stark's ridiculous tower and land on the smooth marble floor. Damn. I jump to my feet and observe the battle through the broken window. I spot Fadrielindë charging toward a Leviathan. Is she insane? I lean against the window frame, deciding to take a quick break from the battle to watch her fail in killing it. This should be interesting.

—Fadrielindë—

I grin as the monster spots me running towards it. It unleashes a spine-tingling roar. I keep sprinting to it until I am a hundred feet away. I grab the Mace and flames and take a deep breath. _Just like fighting a dragon,_ I think. With adrenaline and what Dragon power I have left coursing through my veins, I dig my heels into the cracked asphalt and leap onto the creature's head. It roars furiously and whips around, trying to knock me off. I straddle its neck and strike it with my Mace over and over until its hard shell armoring its body is cracked. I ready my flames and prepare to blast flames into the tender spot when suddenly, the creature bucks and flails around, taking advantage of my moment of distraction. I fly backwards onto its back as it bucks again, flinging me into the air. As if in slow motion, I fly through the air and smash through yet another window, skidding on the floor until I crash into a wall. I sit there slumped over for a moment, moaning at the newly added pain in my chest. Probably more broken ribs. I close my eyes and assess my body. I wiggle my toes and fingers. All good. I move both of my arms and feel the weight of the Mace in my hand. My fractured arm still aches but it is tolerable. I move my legs and only feel the slight ache from my sprained ankle. Somehow I managed to get out of that without any new injuries—not counting the pain in my chest, of course.

"Thank Talos," I breathe, opening my eyes. Taking in my surroundings, I realize that I am in Tony's beloved Stark Tower. Nearly all of the windows are broken, debris litters the once sleek floor, and blood stains the balcony floor. I manage to get to my feet and find my way out onto the expansive balcony overlooking the city. I see Steve fighting off more Chitauri with Thor at his side. The Hulk is holding off a few hundred Chitauri a couple blocks away. Clint is at the top of a building shooting arrows at the Chitauri flying around the city. I lean over, placing my hands on my knees, and try to catch my breath. I wish I had another soul gem; practically all of my Dragon power is gone and I can barely stand.

"Nice of you to drop in," a sly voice sneers. I freeze, knowing who the voice belongs to. My heart pounding in my chest, I slowly turn around. And there he stands, casually leaning against a broken window, arms crossed, peering at me as if merely observing a semi-interesting art exhibit. My knuckles turn white, clenching the Mace. Flames beg to burst from my hand; I can feel the heat already emanating from my palm. I stand there, rigid. He straightens up and moves toward me slowly.

"Good effort in trying to kill the Leviathan," he smirks. I say nothing, too overwhelmed by my utter repulsion caused by him. I notice that he does not have his scepter with him…why is he up here unarmed? He strides over to me and stands beside me. He makes no move to attack so I keep my Mace lowered and flames in my clenched fist.

"What are you doing up here? Don't you have an innocent world to ruthlessly conquer?" I find my voice. "Or are all you just watching your minions do your dirty work for you?" My chest rises and falls as the anger courses through my body. The betrayal has turned into pure anger. All the confusing emotions I feel toward him are suddenly transformed into nothing but anger. No more sadness. No more heartbreak. Just red hot fury.

"Fadrielindë, I understand that you are angry with me. But you must understand the stakes. I did what I had to do. And that just happened to include dropping you from the helicarrier," he states calmly.

"Are you trying to justify what you did to me?" I burst out with a sarcastic laugh. "I may not have actually died, but you basically killed me when you flipped that switch." He shrugs.

"I was hoping you would understand why I had to do it," he remarks. He turns to face me. I instinctively take a step back, ready to start attacking if he so much as tries to touch me. "I would ask you to join me in, as you so eloquently put it, 'ruthlessly conquering' Earth. But I think we both know the answer to that request," he tells me in a serious tone.

"I would never help you," I spit, taking a step toward him. He nods, somewhat wearily.

"I know," he agrees with a sigh. His eyes narrow and glint crimson. "It truly is a shame, Fadrielindë," he says in a deadly voice. I take that step back again, suddenly very aware of the lack of railings on the destroyed balcony.

"What is?" I ask, my voice shaking slightly. My arm tenses, waiting for the critical moment to strike. I know the attack is coming. The air is thick, not only with smoke, but also with tension. He moves closer to me. His face is mere inches from mine, and I struggle to calm my pounding heart. It is not pounding with admiration like it once was. No. It is pounding with anticipation. Anticipation and anger. He opens his mouth to speak and I shift my weight, ready to strike.

"You would have made an excellent queen." And then he is suddenly gripping me by my arms. I let loose the eager flames from my hand before I realize what he is doing.

"Loki!" In one swift motion, he tosses me off the balcony as if I am nothing but a rag doll. "No!" My feet desperately feel for solid ground but meet nothing but air. My hand, once having the Mace in an iron-grip, slackens and clutches the air, hoping for a handhold. But nothing is there. Nothing but the emotionless face of him staring down at me as I descend to Earth for the third time. The last time. This time his face shows no remorse. He tilts his head slightly as he watches me plummet to my death. A mass of green blurs in front of him and he disappears.

I close my eyes, waiting for the final landing and trying not to think about what my death will mean for Nirn. Upon the death of the Dragonborn, who will rise to fulfill the prophecy? No one. There is no one but me. And I have failed. My people will never see the beauty of Sovngarde, only the pain and torment caused by the World-Eater. The world will end. Alduin will be able to embark on his reign of terror without a single soul able to stop him. I have never felt so much despair. My worst fear…will come true. Funny how such a small previously insignificant Imperial elven woman can have such an enormous impact on the entire existence of her world. The only comfort in dying is the weight of the prophecy lifted from my shoulders. I have failed, but I already feel considerably lighter now that I know I will not have to let it control me any longer. I now fully accept death, and I had not until this very minute.

Letting myself be completely and horribly selfish and cruel for once in my life, I find joy in not fulfilling the prophecy. Because I will not be known forever as "The Dragonborn" instead of Fadrielindë. I will not have songs written about my great accomplishment because I somehow find joy in being just a lowly woman from the Imperial City. I can die being who I was for as long as I can remember instead of a title that others forced upon me. I can die as Fadrielindë. Not as the Dragonborn who fulfilled the prophecy. _But everyone in existence will die, _a voice urges me. _I know. If I could change this, I would. But I cannot,_ I reply to it. I am lying to myself. I wish more than anything that I _could_ save all those innocent lives. The only thing keeping me calm is pretending to accept their fates. But, I can promise myself one impossible thing. If I somehow and miraculously survive this, I promise to return straight back to Skyrim and kill Alduin once and for all, I decide, knowing that this is but a false promise. I will never see Skyrim again.

I open my eyes. A blinding light flashes through the sky and another red blur streaks through the air. I cannot even take comfort in knowing that the sky I am gazing up at is the same as Skyrim's. Because it is not. I turn off my mind, ready. No more thinking. If these are indeed my final moments, I need to merely observe everything for one last time. The endless blue sky. The beautiful white clouds. The cool wind streaming past my body as I descend. This is it. I smile softly, ready. Ready, finally, after all I have been through. Ready. Ready to die. I am ready for whatever the Gods have planned for me. Death.

But no. Life. The Gods have played a trick on me. A cruel joke. It is not my time. My body twists and turns in the air and smashes into an iron mass. My eyes flying open and jerking out of my silent reverie, I find myself in Thor's arms, soaring safely down to the ground. Life has chosen me over Death. I am not to die now. Later. Perhaps at the hands of Alduin himself, but not now. Disbelief replaces the deep suffocating despair as Thor carefully sets me down.

"Are you alright?" he asks softly, watching my face. My knees give out and I collapse onto the ground. He kneels down in front of me. "Fadriel?" I bury my face in my hands. I nod silently, still covering my face. I can't stop the tears steadily trickling down my cheeks. Tears of joy, relief, I don't know.

"I was ready," I choke out, sitting up in the rubble. His arms are suddenly around me. I drop my hands and lean into his comforting hug, gazing around in confusion at the thousands of dead Chitauri and lack of portal. "Where are the others? What happened?" I ask him. He lets go of me and helps me to my feet, pointing to a disheveled Tony in the distance. Tony's armor is cracked and blackened.

"Natasha closed the portal just as Stark took a nuclear bomb into it. He barely made it out alive," he explains carefully. "We did it. We stopped him." I look up at him in disbelief. "Banner saw you and Loki on the balcony and rushed to help you, but he was a second too late. He managed to take Loki out of commission right after he threw you off the tower, and I barely caught you in time." I nod stiffly, and lean on him as we make our way to the others, me limping, him supporting me.

I feel like I'm in a dream. I was supposed to die; I was ready to die. I was ready…and now…having something I finally accepted to be torn away…it's an odd feeling. A strangely dissatisfying feeling…but also an exhilarating feeling. I am alive. Today is not my final day. These hours are not my final hours. I survived. I survived and I will go back and kill Alduin, fulfilling the prophecy and my ridiculous promise to myself. I vaguely wonder where my Mace went off to, remembering how it slipped from my hand. I dizzily turn to look at Thor and find it in his hand.

"Fadriel!" Natasha dashes over to me. "Are you okay?" I nod and crack a smile.

"I actually am," I reply. I see Tony, his eyes unfocused, looking awestruck, standing behind Steve. "Tony?" His eyes flash up to mine and he grins.

"Conquerors of Death," he jokes. "That's what we are!" He raises his fist and hugs me with his other arm. I can't help but let out a weak laugh. "Now, who's hungry?"

.

"Knock, knock." Tony's voice cuts through my thoughts as he taps on the door of the Tower's guest room. I glance up and find him in the doorway.

"Hey," I smile. He strides to the bed I'm sitting on and takes a seat himself, looking around the white room. "Thank you for letting me stay here," I thank him. He waves his hand.

"Of course." He stares at the wall.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, furrowing my brow. He shrugs.

"I'll be fine. It's just kinda hard to bounce back from a near-death experience, you know?" he says nonchalantly. I pat his hand.

"Believe me, I completely understand," I tell him. "I've been having trouble too." He turns to me.

"I can't stop playing it over and over in my head," he confides. I nod.

"I know. I should have died. And the worst part is…I was ready to die. I feel like I…" I trail off.

"Cheated? Disrupted fate?" he asks.

"Yeah." We sit in silence for a moment.

"Well," he stands up from the bed. "We better get ready for the grand send-off." My heart falls. I nod, clenching my jaw. He notices. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asks me. I nod briskly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I stand up too.

"You know, it's not completely unbelievable for you to dread traveling with a psychotic god who tried to kill you twice and his brother," he says bluntly. I wave my hand, lying to him and myself.

"I can handle it. I'll only be in Asgard for a little. Just long enough to open a portal back to Skyrim. Then it's off to slaying dragons and fulfilling prophecies!" I reassure him. He chuckles.

"We better get going then."

.

My heart in my throat, I step out of Tony's sleek black car and onto the pavement. You'd think that after narrowly avoiding death twice, I'd become less of a milk-drinker. But I didn't. And this only reinforces when I catch a glimpse of _him_ standing on a raised platform next to Thor. Gods help me, I think. But I am surprised at how much of my apprehension has turned into hatred. Now that I know we finally got the upper-hand, I'm able to hate him more easily. And an emotion such as hatred has such a simplistic quality to it. A quality I've desperately needed in my insanely confusing life.

"Fadriel!" Natasha calls out when she sees me. I glance to the side right as his eyes flicker up toward me. I smile warmly at everyone waiting at the bottom of the steps. When I reach them, Natasha gives me a hug. "You know, I'm really going to miss you," she tells me.

"Aww," I sigh. "I'm going to miss you too." Natasha steps back and grins at me. Bruce grips my hand.

"It was a pleasure to work with you," he says, smiling warmly. I smile back.

"And with you," I reply. Barton pats my shoulder.

"You know, you're alright," he tells me. I grin crookedly.

"You're not so bad yourself. You'd sure give the Thieves Guild a run for their money. If they could shoot half as good as you…" I shake my head. He lets out a bark of laughter. I stride to Steve and he holds out his hand. I smirk at it and instead give him a hug.

"Come back and visit us soon," he tells me. I nod.

"I'll try," I reply. Tony steps up and playfully punches my shoulder.

"Good luck with the prophecy," he says. "Just do exactly what you did a few days ago and you should beat that old dragon with no problem." I chuckle.

"We'll see about that," I laugh, pulling him in for a hug. "I wish I could say that I'm always here if you need to talk but—"

"But you'll be on a completely different planet?" he finishes for me.

"Yeah." He shrugs.

"It's the thought that counts," he remarks. I look him in the eye.

"It'll be okay. It will probably just take time…and lots of it," I try to assure him. He just laughs it off.

"It's a great story though. And we'll be the top story on the news for a while!" he jokes. He nudges my shoulder. "Ready?" his voice changes to a gentler tone. I tilt my chin up, determined not to let _him_ get to me.

"Yeah." I confidently stride up the steps to the dais, where Thor and Loki stand holding the Tesseract in a long container. I clench my jaw and meet Loki's glare evenly.

"Are you ready?" Thor asks me.

"Yes," I reply without breaking eye contact. I slip my arm around Thor and he grips the Tesseract in one hand and me in the other. I smile at everyone surrounding the dais.

"Have a safe trip!" Natasha calls out.

"Kick that dragon's ass!" Tony teases. I wave as Thor turns the container and a bright light, not unlike the one I fell from, shoots down from the sky. Gazing upward I see millions of stars, like the entire galaxy has opened up. And suddenly we are airborne. Flying high into the sky through the light portal, planets and other phenomenons I've never seen streak past us.

It truly is amazing how many lives are out there. So many different legacies and so many different stories. I can only hope that once I return to Skyrim, I will create my own legacy. One with, yes, me, the Dovahkiin, defeating the World-Eater and saving all the precious souls afflicted by him and finally fulfilling the legendary prophecy, but also with me, Fadrielindë, the Imperial Altmer who somehow transformed from a scared young woman, resorting to assassinations and thievery in order to appease her anger, into a confident, strong woman, determined to do whatever it takes to help as many lives as possible. I want to be more than just the Dovahkiin. I want being the Dovahkiin to be just one small sliver of my life. I want to be someone who will be remembered, not only for fulfilling the prophecy, but also for helping in any way I can and with whatever I can, whether it be a small task such as clearing out a bandit den or a giant task like defeating an alien army to save a human planet from utter destruction. But, all of that will have to come later. To leave a legacy and create my own story, I must first focus on the first chapter. And that is saving my world.

After I do that, those who know me may call me a savior. A savior with a good heart. I may have a good heart now, but, I'll tell them, what they don't know is that I used to be different. Before I discovered myself and my true purpose in this life, I didn't have a good heart. I have one now. But before, before everything, before my descent, before the prophecy, before I even traveled to Skyrim, I was just a young woman with a troubled past and no limitations to what I would do to forget it. And when I found out I was supposed to save the entire world, I couldn't deal with the responsibility. I would do anything, _anything_, to try and just forget all of it. But now…after almost dying, after fully accepting death and it failing to appease me, I know that I can do what I am destined to do. I can leave behind that part of me. I am ready for whatever I must do. I am ready to finally fulfill the prophecy _and_ succeed in whatever comes next. I will do whatever I can to bring my world and all worlds to justice. And I know now that I can. I can and have completely transformed, fully leaving behind my dark ways. Leaving behind my black heart. Leaving behind my blackened ebony heart, hardened by ruthless violence caused simply by my desire to forget my past and avoid the prophecy. Leaving the black heart behind. My black heart…now turned to gold.

—THE END—


End file.
